


Bloodlines

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Birth of a Dragon [6]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Mythology, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Multi, Mythology References, Plans For The Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-01 18:19:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 58,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17249099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: With the truth about the GCTI revealed and the governments of the world chasing down the corruption Takeshi's focus shifts to family, both the family he has gathered around himself, and the future of the Kiryu.And to make Takeshi's life even more complicated, Stormborn reveals that it has knowledge of the demon that sired Emelie.





	1. An Offer

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Those two really are like rabbits.”  
Matthews shook his head as Takeshi and Emelie vanished toward their room.  
“They are. But really, can you blame them?”  
“Nah, both of 'em are young and healthy, and good looking too boot. She's literally a sex-demon and he's lived his life on the edge, as an old soldier I know you took what you could get when you could get it, especially after a tough battle. And from what you told me she needs it to recover from her injuries. Though, I can't help but feel there's more to it.”  
“Oh, trust me there is, a lot more to it.”  
Kasumi laughed.

“Those two are perfect for each other, and instinctively they know that. But it's not just instinct, there is love there, they are just too damn stubborn to really admit it, but anyone with eyes can tell.”  
She took the small bottle of Saké and refilled his cup before she continued.  
“You should have seen them in the beginning, always dancing around each other, though, Takeshi was was the worst of them. Instincts telling him to go for it while his sense of honor kept telling him it would be wrong. At times I swear he seemed almost scared of her.”  
She nodded her thanks when Matthews refilled her cup and she took a small sip before continuing.  
“I think he still might be though, scared of all of it. Both of them actually. They are very similar in how they value loyalty, their word is their bond and all that, and openly admitting to love, speaking the words, would be akin to promising forever, but they are both Eternals, so forever could be a _very_ long time.”  
She shook her head with a sigh.  
“I'm pretty sure she has told him she loves him, but he, well, he is very Japanese sometimes and to us Japanese speaking about love does not come easy, especially for the men. Though I have no doubt that Em knows how he feels, you don't get kissed by him without gaining some insight into his emotions.”

“I'm not entirely sure what happened to bring them to their current relationship as neither of them wants to tell me. But it has to do with her being a demon, apparently a Lilim. Her kind are special, if the mother is human the child is born human, and then some of them will become a demon when they grow up. When they start becoming a demon they need to feed like a demon, in her case like a succubus, and it takes a lot of energy to fully transform. Because of this she was dying and there was only one way to save her. When they left she was human and near death, when they returned two weeks later she was a demon and no longer in any danger.”

Matthews hummed with a nod before snickering and draining his cup.  
“I guess I'll have to drag the story out of em tomorrow, by right now I'd appreciate it if you could show me to a bunk.”  
“I will, but trust me, we won't see them for a few days, maybe a week.”  
“Seriously?”  
“Yeah, seriously. He will need time to recover the energy he gives her, and she will be spending that time trying to entice him into another round.”  
She showed him to one of the rooms at the end of a small corridor,  
“This room should do, the girls mostly keep to the garden and other end of the building so you should be able to get some peace and quiet here.”  
All of the building as soundproofed though, but knowing that he was alone in the area of the house could still help offer a sense of calm.

“I'm glad the truth is finally out, it may not be completely over, but he deserves to see their names cleared, and hailed as the heroes they truly were.”  
Matthews spoke in a hushed tone, but with solid conviction before excusing himself and leaving Kasumi alone in the corridor.  
She was mostly relieved that it was one burden, one worry, lifted from his shoulders, but there were still many more that he stubbornly held on to.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Thomas Matthews found himself laying sleepless on the unfamiliar bed, though it was not the bed that kept sleep from claiming him, it was his mind, trying to grasp what had just happened.  
He knew of course that his old life was over, he would never be able to return to civilization so to speak, but knowing and accepting as two very different things.  
He didn't mind though, not really, he was more than happy to retire on a tropical paradise island and he had no doubt that Takeshi would see to that he had everything he needed without actually coddling him.  
He would be able to live out the rest of his days in comfort, but he would also have the opportunity to help Takeshi protect what mattered to him, and that was something he was looking forward to.

Matthews had stayed with the GCTI to try to mitigate the damage they did, and to try to keep the corruption at bay, and when Takeshi had asked him to help bring it down he had been more than happy to, especially after learning about the death of Takeshi's unit and seeing how badly it hurt the young man.  
He hadn't said anything, and wasn't sure he ever would, but he had gown to consider Takeshi the son he never had, and it wasn't hard for him to take Kasumi and Emelie into his heart as well.  
He never had children of his own, and those three was everything he could ever have wanted his children to be, and the girls would no doubt grow on him, and become grandchildren of his heart even though he had no blood family left.

Despite having a hard time falling asleep he found himself awake before the sun but he wasn't surprised to find Kasumi in the kitchen with a cup of green tea and selection of leftover from the previous night.  
“Good morning Thomas-san. Did you sleep well?”  
“As well as can be expected, a lot on my mind.”  
Kasumi nodded softly before motioning for him to have a seat.  
“Anything in particular you would like for breakfast? I'm afraid we don't have any decent coffee though, no one here drinks it apart from Em using is as flavoring sometimes.”  
“Don't worry, I'm used to drinking everything from sloppy bilge-water to tar infused jet-fuel.”  
The description of his idea of bad coffee made Kasumi snicker and promise they should be able to manage something in between.

“And to eat?”  
She reminded him that breakfast was also on the menu so to speak.  
“You wouldn't happen to have grits?”  
“I'm sorry, we only have fine ground corn flour, but we can order some for you. How about some _Okayu_ instead?”  
She motioned toward the bowl of rice porridge she had in front of her.  
“Oh, that looks interesting. Please.”  
Okayu was a common breakfast food that was usually made with leftover rice from the previous day and topped with various pickles, or simply other leftovers like cooked fish.  
Matthews watched as Kasumi heated some broth and added cooked rice and just before serving it she added thin slices of meat that quickly cooked in the hot liquid.  
“Here you go, I suggest you not take too long to eat, the girls will be up in about half an hour.”  
“Ah, thank you for the warning.”  
He smiled and thanked her for the meal before digging in with his usual gusto, he may have been an officer most of his life, but one never forgot how to eat like a soldier.

By the time the girls started dropping in to the kitchen to get breakfast he was helping Kasumi chop vegetables and hand out trays with the basic fare, a bowl of rice, a bowl of steamed vegetables, a bowl of dashi broth with fine strips of meat and herbs, and a small plate with grilled fish, the girls would then add whatever side dishes they preferred.  
“Sumi-chan, can we have some nattō and miso?”  
The twins question caused a few complaints as most of the girls didn't really like the fermented soybean products.  
“Of course, here you go.”  
Kasumi quickly gave them a bowl of nattō and another smaller one with some miso paste diluted with dashi for them to add to their soup and they quickly added a pile of katsuobushi to one of their small condiment bowls.

“Do you always eat Japanese breakfast?”  
Matthews was a bit curious about the habits of the people he would be living with.  
“Not really, but it's fairly common. It's a convenient way to use up any leftovers. But if you want something else, like grits, we will make sure there is grits for you. Be warned though, we do expect you to help out around the house.”  
“Of course. I would never expect anything else!”  
The affronted tone made Kasumi smile at him and offer him another bowl of okayu, this time freshly made which he quickly dug into.  
“This is really good, I could get used to having this for breakfast.”  
“I think you will find that the food served here is excellent, and we can get you pretty much anything.”  
“Oh, Prairie Oysters?”  
“It can be arranged yes.”  
Kasumi glanced at the girls, hoping none of them were listening and want to know what prairie oysters were, she did not feel like explain that they were in fact bull testicles.

“Sumi-chan, when will Take and Emmy come?”  
Sarah had just finished her breakfast and was clearly concerned that Takeshi and Emelie hadn't joined them.  
“Remember they told you Em hurt her wings a bit, and Take got hurt a bit too so they need to rest and recover. You remember last time she hurt her wing?”  
“Mhm... They were away for days.”  
“It will probably be the same this time.”  
Kasumi could tell Sarah was worried though, and Maria joined her as well so she reached out over the bond to see if it was okay for her to bring them with her when she brought breakfast up.  
She quickly got an answer that it was fine for the twins to come up at the moment as they were currently resting.  
“How about you girls help me bring them breakfast? Then you can say good morning if they are awake.”  
The cheering was instant, and quite loud before Kasumi gently scolded them and told them if they were going to be loud the couldn't go with her.  
“Sorry...”

Kasumi gave the door a soft knock and waited for a moment before entering to allow Takeshi and Emelie a moment to make sure they were decent, thought it didn't really help much.  
She couldn't help a slight surge of heat in her belly as she entered and was greeted by the sight of Takeshi sprawled on his back with one arm under his head and the other around Emelie, fortunately her wing covered the vital bits.  
It quickly became obvious that the pair had sensed her reaction though as their auras gained an amused and teasing edge which made her huff.  
It wasn't really her fault that Takeshi's position reminded her of her favorite way of tourt.. ehm, teasing him by making him pleasure himself while she watched, right?  
With a quick shake she tried to get the images out of her head but wasn't having all that much success, thankfully the twins distracted her by asking if they could come inside and she told them it was okay, but that they needed to be quiet.

“Good morning girls.”  
Emelie didn't move as she spoke.  
“Morning Emmy. Take.”  
Kasumi tuned out their chattering in favor for setting p the food on the table at the foot of the bed, but as she looked up toward the bed she froze and blushed for a moment as she realized the reason Emelie kept her wing draped the way she did was not to hide Takeshi's nakedness, but rather to hide what she was doing with her tail.  
For a brief moment Kasumi almost felt sorry for her dear Kage who was forced to keep a straight face in front of the twins while Emelie had her tail wrapped around him, steadily working him toward the edge of the abyss.  
It only lasted for a moment though before she thought better of it and huffed to herself that he had no doubt done something to deserve being teased and tortured.

“Okay girls, that's enough. They need to rest and recover.”  
“But...”  
The twins instantly switched to puppy dog mode, begging to stay longer.  
“No buts, get going.”  
Kasumi started shooing the girls out the door and the moment the door slid closed she could feel a flare of energy and a soft yelp as Takeshi flipped Emelie on her back and pounced to get his revenge.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

True to Kasumi's estimate Takeshi and Emelie emerged from their rooms late in the evening a week later and immediately made a beeline for the meat-locker, Kasumi had brought them meals throughout the week, but as expected Takeshi needed some extra to help him recharge.  
“Damn, kid! You planning to feed an entire squad?”  
Matthews just stared when he spotted the stainless steel cart that looked ready to buckle under the piles of meat and fish.  
“Nah, just feeling a bit peckish after having a good time”.  
When Matthews spotted Emelie with another one just like it loaded with vegetables, rice and various condiments he began sputtering.  
“You are insane! You know that, right?”  
“Horrible, impossible and now insane? Come on people, make up your minds.”  
“How about all of the above?”  
Kasumi quipped from her shaded corner.  
“Whatever did I do to deserve such a mean sister?”  
He teased with a fake sniffle while sorting the various cuts of meat and plates of fish to begin preparing them, thick slices for the grill, thinner ones to be served as sashimi.

“Hey, Kasumi, 'they really gonna eat all that on their own?”  
“Well, Take will put most of it away while Em nibbles and keeps him company.”  
“So, this is normal for 'em?”  
“Sort of, these more extreme s _essions_ are new, but they follow the same patterns, just in a rather exaggerated manner.”  
Matthews and Kasumi watched as Takeshi made short work of the mountain of food while Emelie stole bits here and there, triggering mock fights over the favored treats, fights that Matthews noted Takeshi always lost.  
“You saying you wouldn't let her win?”  
Kasumi laughed.  
“Never said that.”  
He agreed with a grin.  
“It's good to see him like this. See him let loose and be himself, makes him look even younger though.”  
“Mhm, he never had a chance to be a carefree kid, and he's far from carefree now, but at least he is living and enjoying himself.”  
“That kid always had a big heart, being a killer, a soldier, doesn't suit him. Being a lover, and a father, fits him though.”  
“It really does, doesn't it.”  
Kasumi agreed softly and nothing more was said before the meal was finished and they settled down in the garden to relax a bit, and talk a lot.

“You guys aren't big on the whole sleeping thing are ya?”  
Matthews was starting to yawn while he sat with Takeshi watching as Kasumi was helping Emelie practice with her Tessen.  
“We don't need much sleep so why waste time on it when there are so many better ways to spend it?”  
Takeshi's hand vanished into his sleeve and with a quick movement of the wrist he sent a few Harigata Bo-Shuriken flying toward Emelie and watched as she spun around and flicked the Tessen open to block the slender but potentially deadly needles, as the spin continued she lashed out with her tail, the tip acting like the head of a spear.  
“Damn! I didn't sign up to be a target dummy...”  
Matthews complained when the razor sharp tip passed a few centimeters in front of him and looking rather wide-eyed as Takeshi caught it and gave it a sharp nip before allowing Emelie to pull it back.  
“Don't worry, she doesn't need target-practice.”  
The pride in his voice was unmistakable.

“You really got bit bad, didn't ya kid?”  
“Hmm, what?”  
Takeshi didn't look away from the lesson in front of him, he knew what Matthews meant, but he pretended not to have been paying attention.  
“I see how you look at her. You love her.”  
“She is Pack...”  
“Don't you try it with me kid, I'm too old to buy it. You love her, there's no two ways about it.”  
“Perhaps...”  
He admitted after a long pause, he knew he loved her, and he knew she knew he loved her, but from there to actually admitting it out loud, to actually commit to the words, was quite a different thing..  
“Look, kid. I won't even try to claim to understand what you guys are going through. I mean living forever, demons, werewolves or whatever you are and all, that gotta be a big mess to wrap your head around.”  
He refilled Takeshi's cup and held up his own to be refilled.  
“But there is one thing I **do** know. No matter how long, or short, your life might be, it's always too short to let something like love slip through your fingers. Promise me you'll at least think it over real hard, okay?”

When there was no answer for a few minutes Matthews spoke up again.  
“Takeshi Kiryu, promise me you will.”  
The usual humor was all gone from his tone and the fact that he had actually used Takeshi's full name spoke volumes.  
Takeshi took a deep breath, held it for an impossibly long time before slowly exhaling and looking away with a slight growl.  
“Fine! I promise.”  
He snapped, and there was a frustrated bite to his voice but Matthews didn't let that deter him.  
“Don't you snap at me for laying down the truth!”  
He bit back which earned him a snarl that gave him an excellent view of a rather intimidating set of fangs before Takeshi regained control over the beast's reaction to being told off.  
“Sorry about that. Got myself stuck with a backseat-driver that does **not** like to be told what to do. It's one of those little issues that are proving somewhat resilient to solutions.”  
“No worries kid. But honestly, you never did like being told what to do, you obeyed, somewhat, because you had to to keep your family, and later your unit, safe. But there was always this feeling of rebellion from you, think that's what made me like you from the get go.”  
“Bull, you just liked that I gave the other assholes a hard time and not you.”  
Takeshi was more than happy to grab the offered change of subject, he knew full well that Matthews had offered it up intentionally, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable than he already had.  
“True, that might have had something to do with it.”  
With a laugh the tense moment was forgotten and the night passed in its usual manner with Matthews leaving them halfway through it to get some sleep.

Once Matthews had left for his room Emelie turned to Takeshi,  
“He's not doing too good, is he? I thought I could feel something off in his aura when I carried him, and it's obvious now.”  
“No, he's not. I noticed it back in L.A as well, but he has deteriorated a lot faster than I thought he would. At this rate I doubt he will last the year.”  
“The Blessing would save him, wouldn't it?”  
“It would, and I intend to offer it to him, but I don't think he will accept.”  
“Why not?”  
“He has his reasons, but that's not my story to tell.”  
Emelie just nodded her acceptance but found herself unable to entirely drop the subject.  
“You think he would be willing to allow us to treat him, try to fix what is wrong? Between our abilities and the things **She** can create in the sanctuary we should be able to fix pretty much anything.”  
“I'm really hoping he will, and I will do my best to talk him into it.”  
“But you won't use your abilities to make him comply, or guilt him into it, right?”  
“Mhm...”  
She shook her head at his distracted answer, he obviously had something on his mind and she knew he would share when he was good and ready and not a moment before.

As the night moved on she found herself more and more curious about what could possibly be on his mind to cause this kind of behavior, he was nipping at her with sharp fangs and trailing razor sharp claws along her skin, even drawing blood on occasion before healing the small cuts with a lick.  
Kasumi tried to talk them into going back to their room but Takeshi didn't seem to hear her at all as he just kept going.  
“Oh well, if you two are going to be all antisocial I'll just go bed, see you in the morning.”  
After Kasumi left Emelie carefully turned to face Takeshi.  
“Take? You are acting really strange, is everything okay?”  
“Ssh, I'm fine. Just thinking...”  
“Whatever could you be thinking to make you act like this? You are being worse than me!”  
“Hmm. Oh, nothing important, not now.”  
The mumbled reply as followed short silence and more mumbling.  
“Maybe later, when I figure it out.”  
He was quiet for a long time before speaking up again.  
“I promised, why did I promise?”  
As he was making less and less sense she choose to just go with the flow and enjoy his touch.

Takeshi found himself in a bit of a dilemma, he knew Matthews was right, and he had promised, but at the same time it went against everything he had been taught, the way he had been raised and trained.  
Speaking about his feelings, especially the kind of feelings he had for Emelie was something he was taught not to do, first as a child growing up in a traditional Japanese household where emotions was not something you spoke of, especially not love, and even more so for the males.  
It was something you showed through actions.  
Then as a Kage he was expected not to feel such things, even further reinforcing the notion not to speak of such matters, and during his time with the GCTI it was far t0o dangerous to allow anyone to see his true feelings.  
All of those things together had caused him to develop emotional shields that hid his feelings behind a facade of calm friendliness, or professionalism, depending on the situation.  
Fortunately those closest to him were able to see through I most of the time, but Matthews had a point, actually saying the words carried an importance in itself, it was a commitment.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Thomas, I need a word with you, now.”  
Takeshi's voice was calm but carried a hint of steel that made it perfectly clear he would not take no for an answer.  
“So, what can I do for ya today?”  
“Your health, what is wrong and what treatments are you receiving.”  
“Dang, you're not pulling your punched today, are ya?”  
“Just answer, I already know you are sick, and that it's bad. I just don't know exactly what's wrong.”  
Matthews shook his head and as he responded most of his usual sloppy speech was gone as he for once was serious.  
“I can't slip anything past you can I? It's the old ticker, can't seem to keep up anymore. I had some pills and I was scheduled for a pacemaker, but that's kinda out now. After all, dead men don't get surgery, or refills on their prescriptions.”  
He picked up the small pill bottle and shook it to show it was empty.  
“How long?”  
There was a deadly calm in Takeshi's voice that made Matthews squirm a bit as he answered.  
“Took last one three days ago.”  
Takeshi voiced a frustrated growl before nodding, they would have to act fast or it could end bad, much sooner than he had believed.

“If you want to, I can fix that for you, permanently. You'd never have to worry about getting sick again. You would regain the body of your prime.”  
“Like you did with Melissa to save her? She told me you know, that as she could feel death you still asked her permission.”  
“Yes.”  
“You know what my answer is.”  
Takeshi just sighed as Matthews shook his head.  
“I figured as much, still I am offering it, and this offer will never expire.“  
“Doubt I'll change my mind in the short time I have left, but thanks for offering.”  
“It could be a lot longer you know, the Blessing isn't the only thing that can help you. It would be the fastest and easiest, but we have other options if you would allow it.”  
“If you can fix me up without changing what I am, I'm all for it.”  
“Well, it will be slower, probably painful at times and you'll probably get stuck with a pet until it's done.”  
“Pet?”  
Matthews utter confusion made Takeshi laugh, it would seem the old commander hadn't really noticed that the girls all had their familiars.

“A familiar, like the ones the girls have. They are able to produce pretty much any substance, Emelie's serpent for instance provides her with a replacement for _Blockers_ , it also gave Amanda and Diane an antidote for the drug Roberts had been giving them.”  
“Damn, that's pretty useful. Guess I'll get stuck with a snake too then? So it can actually get the stuff in me?”  
“Well, if you have a problem with snakes we could always get you a rabbit or something to make _pills_.”  
The deadpan delivery made Matthews glare at him for a moment before countering.  
“I think I rather get bitten a few times a day, thank you very much.”  
“Understandable.”  
Takeshi teased.  
“Come, let's go find you a suitable familiar.”  
Takeshi gently nudged him toward the Sanctuary and they were quickly joined by Kasumi and Emelie after telling the girls to stay in the makeshift classroom and focus on their lessons.  
It wasn't complete yet, but sufficiently so for the Mother to be able to create a familiar from Matthews' blood.

 _ **“My chosen thinks highly of you Thomas. Please, enter and receive my gift.”**_  
The voice of the mother made Matthews look around in a somewhat nervous manner, but since Takeshi and the others were calm he did as asked.  
“So, what do I have to do?”  
“We need to take a bit of your blood to make the familiar a part of you. Don't worry, it won't be much, and I will heal the cut when done.”  
“Okay I guess...”  
Takeshi quickly used a claw to make the cut, and gathered the blood in the pitcher plant provided by the mother and soon Matthews was told to reach in and get his familiar.  
“It's an egg?”  
“Sometimes a familiar has a form that needs to be protected and given time to mature a bit before coming into this world, and sometimes it's simply too large and will be hatched from an egg, then mature into a larger form.”  
Takeshi explained as he nodded for Matthews to take the egg and leave the sanctuary.  
“We will head back to the house and wait for it to hatch, our presence here delays the growth of the Sanctuary.”

“The hell kinda snake is this?”  
Matthews stared at the creature that was to be his familiar as it sat in the broken remains of what looked like an Emu egg.  
“I do believe that would be a quite obvious, it's a winged serpent.”  
Takeshi quipped with a wide grin while leaning in to get a closer look at the creature spawned from Matthews' blood.  
The tiny body was long and slender with rough green scales, but Takeshi had a feeling it would grow quite a bit.

Its head was like that of a dragon. crowned by a pair of horns and a mane of long fiery red and orange feathers that trained down its spine, past the large feathered wings colored like a rainbow that ended in clawed hands.  
The tip of its tail also sported rainbow feathers and Takeshi could feel a slight tingle along its aura that reminded him of the twins familiars after their rebirth into Storm Phoenix, remembering his mythology he figured it was probably able to deliver quite a jolt if needed.

“Well yeah, but come on. It looks like something out of a mythology class!”  
Takeshi had to agree with him, the serpent looked like some of the images of the Aztec Quetzalcoatl or the Mayan Kukulkan mixed with the Aboriginal Rainbow Serpent or Native American Horned Serpent.  
“Past few years I have found that many mythologies have a greater base in reality that I thought, it's quite possible that these critters were around when those mythologies started.”  
“Must say though, it's kinda cute.”  
Matthews reached out and scratched it under the jaw and then yelped as it bit down on his finger and refused to let go.  
“I think it likes you.”  
Kasumi teased while struggling not to laugh.  
“Yeah, for dinner!”  
Emelie didn't even bother trying as she laughed her usual brilliant laugh.  
“Stubborn little..!”  
Matthews shook his finger as if trying to shake it loose, but he was careful not to hurt the small creature.

A few minutes later it let go and proceeded to prove that its wings weren't just for show by flying in circles around Matthews head before landing on top of it and coiling up.  
“Why you cheeky little...”  
He grumbled as he reached up and scooped the serpent from his head and carefully dropped it into the pocket of his shirt instead, moments later the clawed hands grabbed at the edges of the pocket and its head popped up with a hiss.  
Carefully patting its head he turned to Takeshi who had been standing back with a huge grin on face during the introduction and bonding of the familiar.  
“So, what does this thing eat?”  
“Nothing really. They just absorb pure life-force from their surroundings. This one will take some of your blood every now and then though, to help keep track of your health.  
“You mean like it just did?”  
He countered, holding up his finger to show the tiny drops of blood drawn by the tiny, but sharp, fangs.  
“Just like that. But as you already figured out these things are cheeky so be prepared for things to go missing from your plate, especially meat has a way of vanishing whenever they are close.”  
“How much could this little thing possibly manage to eat?”  
“Heh, be careful, she might just take that as a challenge. And you'll be surprised just how much these little gluttons can gobble down.”  
“She?”  
“Yeah, you got yourself a little lady there. She will probably grow quite a bit larger though, but don't worry, she will be able to adjust her size so she won't be a bother.”  
“Great, just what I needed”  
He grumbled, which was instantly rewarded with a hiss and tiny fangs nipping at his skin.  
“Yeah, definitely a lady.”  
Kasumi and Emelie agreed.  
“She will have him trained in no time.”  
Takeshi laughed.  
“Is it to much to ask for a nice, cute nurse type instead of what feels like a nagging old wife?”  
Matthews complained, but there was a hint of humor in his tone.  
“Definitely!”  
Everyone else agreed.  
“Why is everyone picking on this poor old man?”  
He mock whined but everyone could sense his joy, he was truly happy with his new companion.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The rest of the day was spent with the girls at the beach with Takeshi, Emelie and Kasumi taking turns keeping an eye on the girls and working with Julia and the twins to improve their swimming.  
Since the girls seemed more than happy to help Matthews with his familiar Takeshi left them to it, anything that helped them feel more comfortable around men that wasn't him was a good thing.  
They were still a bit skittish though, but they trusted that he wouldn't let Matthews harm them.

As evening came around the girls were corralled and sent to their rooms for the night and Matthews excused himself early, the effects of his treatment starting to kick in, making him rather tired as his body used all its energy to heal.  
Takeshi and Emelie sat in the inner garden watching a group of Luna Moths from the Sanctuary flutter around the garden, like many of the creatures from the Sanctuary of the Mother they were bioluminescent displaying a bright glow in the colors or their mortal cousins.  
Some sporting a pale blue-green, others a gentle yellow and pink, a few even a milky white.  
Emelie was dozing off in his lap when Kasumi joined them and sat down next to him, after a quick look at Emelie she spoke up in a low voice, and in Japanese.

“Kage, it is time we act to reclaim what is ours.”  
Her choice of words further reinforcing the seriousness of the conversation.  
“I know, but there is no need to rush. We can make plans while we watch over Matthews' recovery. If he is back in reasonable health he can help watch over the girls when we need to be in Japan.”  
As he spoke Emelie stirred slightly and looked up at him, blinking sluggishly but when she noticed they were speaking Japanese she just shifted slightly, snuggled into his chest and fell back to sleep.  
“And what about Em?”  
Kasumi's question held a slight edge, knowing well how important the young woman had become him.  
“If we are going to be away more than a few days she comes along, and that's final. She needs to feed regularly to maintain control of her hunger and I will not place her in a situation where her need to feed might push her to seek out another source and risk hurting someone if it can be avoided. But most importantly, I gave her my word that as long as I am alive I would never leave her behind.”  
He gently lifted Emelie's right hand, careful not to wake her, and turned it so Kasumi could read the kanji covering her ring, kanji that glowed under the touch of his aura.  
“And if she comes, so does the twins, they are not ready for us to leave them even if they have Matthews and the others to keep an eye on them. I will not risk the progress we have made with them just to rush when there is no need to. There is also the eggs holding the souls of the twins' sisters, I would prefer to not leave until they have decided to hatch. I need to know they will be okay.”  
Kasumi glared at him for a moment before looking away with a sigh.

“You always were the responsible one, _brother_.”  
“Hardly by choice.”  
He bit out, part of him would never forgive the Council for making him Kage, for molding him into a weapon.  
“Becoming my Kage was not by choice, but don't you even try claiming that you would have been any different if you were not Kage. I don't believe it. You would still be the one to always worry and care for others, to always assume all the responsibilities so that others would not have to.”  
“Probably.”  
He sighed.  
“Anyway, for now, let's just relax and make preparations. Once it's time for the award ceremony I will go there with Em, I'm sure the council will send someone to receive it in my place. After all Kage or not, a Kiryu being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom is not something they would miss. It should be an excellent opportunity to let them know I'm still around.”  
Kasumi nodded silently and after a few moments of consideration she spoke up again.  
“Once they are aware that you are still alive they will surely contact me again to demand answers, and an heir. To which I will announce a son, born in January 2031.”  
“We should _create_ a daughter as well, you might need an identity to assume later on.”  
He pointed out.  
“Hmm, I guess that might be useful.”  
She agreed with a soft hum.  
When Emelie began to stir again Kasumi headed back inside with a promise to speak more on the matter later.

“Take, could you tell me what that was about?”  
She wouldn't insist if he didn't want to, but she was a bit curious because she could feel a cold focus in his aura.  
“Sumi feels it's time we start to move along with our plans to take control over the Kiryu. And I feel we should take it slow, there is no need to rush things.”  
“And did she accept that? Or will she order you to do things her way? And if she does, will you obey?”  
Her questions made him pause for a moment and carefully consider her words.  
“She has accepted a timeline where we won't take any action at least until after the award. I will go there, and thus reveal that I'm alive, that will prompt the council into action.”  
“And if she hadn't, would you have folded and done things her way?”  
There was a displeased edge to her voice that made Takeshi sigh.  
“Yes, I would have. I have sworn to.”  
The angry hiss that answered almost made him flinch, but he could feel the pain beneath it so he just held on to her and let her take her emotions out on him.

“I don't like it.”  
It took a while before she was finally calm enough to put her feelings into words.  
“I know sweetie. It's okay.”  
He knew her outburst was more about how she felt about it.  
“Is it really? I shouldn't be feeling this way...”  
“It's instincts. I'm alpha, you are my co-alpha, Sumi is also an alpha, so instinctively you see her as a threat to your position. There isn't really much we can do about that.”

Takeshi's own instincts rebelled a bit at submitting to Kasumi, the Beast telling him that he and Emelie were the dominant alpha pair in control of the territory and that Kasumi should be the one submitting to them as an alpha without a pack, or mate, of her own.  
He could imagine it was even harder for Emelie who wasn't bound by oath to obey Kasumi.

“Em, how many times have you told me not to apologize for my instincts?”  
He scolded her gently and reminded her about how she would always tell him not to apologize when instincts made him do odd things.  
“Hey, no turnabouts!”  
The muttered complaint was accompanied by a repressed giggle that quickly turned into a laugh before she pounced on him and kissed him roughly.  
_“Thanks, I needed that.”_  
The familiar carried her words while she focused on stealing his breath away, which he allowed for a while before grabbing her and flipping them around.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Take, I have been wondering. I know you don't expect me to just sit around, but is there anything more important than just helping with the chores I can do?”  
Matthews was growing restless, he was used to working and being useful, and life as a retiree was quite frankly driving him up the walls.  
“Of course. Your contacts could be of great use to us.”  
Matthews instantly perked up at Takeshi's words.  
“Oh, don't keep me in suspense kid.”  
“If you want to I could use help tracking down and buying some of that military hardware that the GCTI managed to spread out there. As well as people willing to operate them for a good cause.”  
“That won't be cheap you know.”  
“Don't worry about that. As one of my trials to become a shinobi I was entered into the _Ketsueki no T_ _ō_.”  
“The what?”  
“The Tower of Blood...”  
Takeshi waited silently to see if Matthews knew what that meant and the way his eyes widened made it clear he did.

“Holy shit kid! You won the Tower of Blood before you even joined the GCTI?! Damn, that's just.. Wow...”  
“I have invested the money wisely and it has grown significantly.”  
“But hey, weren't you just human back then?”  
Matthews wasn't really paying attention and Takeshi didn't blame him.  
“Human, yes. _Just_ , not so much. I had abilities far beyond those of a normal human. If I had not been human I would not have been allowed to participate.”  
”Wait, those that arrange the Tower know about non humans?”  
“Of course, the founders as well as many of the VIP's are demons.”  
”Okay... If you say so...”  
Matthews was clearly overwhelmed so Takeshi gently nudge the conversation forward.  
“Don't worry, I know it's a lot, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time.”  
“Guess money really isn't an issue then...”  
“Indeed. So what do you say, willing to take on that job?”  
“Sure. Anything to be useful.”  
“I'll set you up with a link to Amarok as well, he may be mostly retired, but he still has a massive information network.”  
“Could come in handy.”  
Matthews agreed with a nod and Takeshi could see he was already making plans.

“For now though I would like you to pick one of the small studies as your own, and then set to work on ordering any furniture, books or anything like that, including stuff for your room.”  
The way he instantly deflated told Takeshi that there was something he had left behind.  
“Thomas, tell me what it is and where it should be and I will try getting it for you.”  
“The books in my office in San Diego, I had a nice collection of first editions, signed editions, and my grandmother's bible."  
“I remember them. You focus on the other stuff and I'll do my best to get my hands on the stuff from your office.”  
Takeshi already had plans to get Matthews' uniform and the various medals he had earned throughout his career, something that Maria's spirit was telling him she would gladly lend her skills for, adding his books and other trinkets shouldn't make it all that much harder, chances were good they were kept in regular storage while Matthews' computer and filing cabinet were kept at an evidence lockup.

“All the studies look the same so just pick the one you want and we will get you the furniture you want for it. The one with the sign on the door is Sumi's”  
Takeshi motioned toward the lobby like area that connected the doors that led to the various offices.  
“Okay.”  
Takeshi was pleased that Matthews took the time to explore each of the office spaces despite them being identical in terms of construction, layout and furniture.  
All of them had fairly minimal furnishings, a desk, a few chairs, ad small sitting area, a filing cabinet and a bookshelf.  
“I'm going with this one.”  
Matthews had a solid determination in his voice that made Takeshi curious.  
“Oh, what is it about this one you like so much?”  
“The view, if I put my desk here I'll have a nice, relaxing, view of the waterfall whenever I turn around.”  
The reason made Takeshi laugh and agree it was indeed a nice view.

“What style would you like on the furniture?”  
“Oh, I don't know...”  
“Thomas... Don't you try worrying about prices or availability, you just tell me what you want and I'll arrange it as best as possible.”  
Takeshi scolded lightly as he recognized the hesitation that told him Matthews knew perfectly well what he wanted, but thought it would be asking too much.  
“I have always wanted one of those vintage offices that are part library...”  
“Loots of dark wood, nice carvings, walls filled with books and a desk that weighs about as much as your average car?”  
“Mhm...”  
“Guess you are in luck then, that style happens to be popular right now.”  
“And very expensive...”  
Matthews' grumbling made Takeshi huff and scold him gently.

“How about something like this?”  
Takeshi brought up a few pictures on the screen, this time with what they called _live edge_ tables.  
The tabletops were cut from a raw slab of wood showing the uneven edge where they had just removed the bark and gently sanded it, leaving an uneven, living, edge.  
“Looks amazing, but maybe a bit impractical?”  
“Good point, maybe these?”  
Shifting to another set of pictures rewarded him with a pleased hum, it was still the live edge style tables, but this time the slabs of wood had been cut down the middle and turned over so that the uneven edges faced the middle of the table, and the gap filled in with resin, making it look like a ravine or river ran along the middle of the desk.  
“Yeah, I really like these...”  
The hesitation became obvious again as he no doubt noticed the price tags.  
“How about you look around the island for a tree that you think would make a good top and we can make one ourselves?”  
The offered compromise was instantly accepted with a small sigh of relief.

In the end Takeshi gave Matthews access to one of the accounts and told him that he expected him to treat it the same way the unit had treated the credit-card he had given them when they prepared for their babysitting assignment.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi watched as Emelie tossed another broken training Bō aside with a frustrated hiss, she liked the style, but her strength quickly broke the wooden training staff and it made him think of his own training blades and it reminded him of Doufaran.  
“Em, I think I have an idea what we can do about getting you a proper training weapon.”  
“Oh?”  
“Remember I told you about the demon smith who forged my twin katanas?”  
“Mhm.”  
“Well, I was thinking we could visit him and have him make something for you. And he might be able to tell us something about your demon heritage as well.”  
He added a soft apology that he hadn't thought about asking Doufaran about demons as he was demon, not youkai.  
The Japanese youkai had a different origin than the demon kind that Doufaran and Emelie belonged to, youkai were in essence empowered nature spirits.  
“In that case we should go either way.”  
“It's settled then, but we will have to bring the twins as we will probably be away a few days at least.”

They quickly made plans and a week later they loaded their bags into the Blackout along with large quantities of food, and several sanctuary planters that Takeshi intended to offer Doufaran as payment for making Emelie a training staff.  
Though, honestly, he would gift them to the old smith even if he declined the job as a token of gratitude for allowing him to watch him work as a child.

When he landed on the island the old demon was waiting for them next to the landing pad.  
“Welcome back Kage. So you have finally decided to come out of hiding.”  
Doufaran suddenly spun and looked at Emelie for a moment before bowing slightly, the first obvious token of respect Takeshi had ever seen him perform.  
“Numirial Lilim!”  
“Ah, I guess that confirms that my sweet Em is indeed Lilim. Would you be willing to teach us more about her heritage?”  
The old smith instantly looked troubled.  
“Apologies young Kage, Em was it? But I cannot. I am bound by oaths of secrecy regarding many thing as a part of the terms that allows me to work in the human realm, this would be one of those things I am not permitted to speak of.”  
Emelie's mood instantly dropped and Doufaran apologized to her again.  
“I see, well thank you anyway Doufaran-sensei. Hopefully we can still do some business though.”  
“If your business is weapons or armor I'm your demon!”  
“Indeed it is, we are in need of a suitable training Bō for Em as her strength keeps breaking any normal ones, and it would be useful if we could make something similar to my training blades for her.”  
“Of course! I already have a few ideas. Come along.”  
Takeshi quickly grabbed the box with the smallest planter and some treats, they could return later for the bulk of the food and the large planters.

As they walked toward the forge Takeshi could tell that Emelie had some questions, and after a while Doufaran told her to just speak her mind.  
“You were not surprised to see Take. You knew he was alive, didn't you?”  
“Of course I did.”  
“But how?”  
The only answer she recieved from Doufaran was an amused huff that left it up to Takeshi to explain.  
“He made my training blades, remember.”  
“Yeah?”  
“When those were reforged into real katana there was some material left over as he made the training blades quite large to ensure there would be enough material to use.”  
“And?”  
“He still has the ingot with the leftover metal, and it's infused with my power. If I was to die that power would fade and leave the ingot void of energy, dead. And since that has not happened I must be alive.”  
“Oh, I see.”

She quickly hurried up to Doufaran's side and Takeshi noticed her wings shift into a lower position as she addressed him.  
“I'm sorry Doufaran-sensei, I didn't mean any offense.”  
“Of course you didn't. You are worried about his safety.”  
For a moment Doufaran allowed his own wings to manifest and gently tapped her wings with his, a gesture that Takeshi recognized as acceptance of her apology, and it seemed she instinctively understood as well as she instantly relaxed and her wings returned to their normal posture before fading away.

Once they reached the small house Doufaran offered them a seat before going straight to business.  
“So, you want me to make her a training weapon that can withstand her power and strength?”  
“That's correct.”  
“And what do you intend to offer as payment?”  
There was a clear curiosity in Doufaran's question.  
“Well, I recall you mentioning how much of a hassle it was to get fresh fruit and vegetables out here on the island. And that human realm produce, though delicious, gave little nutrition to a demon of your power.”  
While he spoke Takeshi opened up the box and took the planter and placed it on the table.  
“These will allow you to grow any crop you want, and the harvest will offer more than just flavor.”  
He quickly filled it with it with the crystal soil and picked up one of the vials of seeds and shook out one of the snowmelon seeds and planted in the planter.  
“A drop of your blood please, to teach it what you are, what nourishment is needed for you.”  
Doufaran didn't hesitate to offer Takeshi his hand and a quick flick of a claw later a few drops of blood painted the clear soil in a deep red before being absorbed.  
“The grow-speed can be adjusted, and many plants can be manipulated to give a continuous harvest.”  
While he explained he gently took the growing wine and spread it on the table as it grew.  
“Another benefit is that no pollination is needed.”

The flowers quickly turned into small fruits and a few minutes later they had a large, ripe, melon on the table and Takeshi started cutting it up and offered a slice to Doufaran.  
At first he gave it a bit of a crooked look as the flesh of the melon was a deep blood red rather than the usual white with a slight green tint.  
“Don't worry, the color is simply so that the girls know which melons are the ones adapted for your physiology as they could make them sick.”  
With Takeshi's explanation Doufaran nodded and took the offered slice and took a big bite out of it, leaving a red trail of juice dripping down his chin.  
“Amazing! Sweet and full flavor, and I can tell it will indeed nourish me just as well as any demon-realm fruit. And there's already another one growing. This payment is acceptable! I will craft a training weapon, and modify it to a real weapon when the time is right.”  
Takeshi snorted in amusement when Doufaran eagerly accepted without even knowing that what he had just been showed was just a small portion of the prize Takeshi was offering.

While Doufaran enjoyed the rest of the melon Takeshi told him a bit about what had happened since they last met, at the Tower of Blood.  
The way he unconsciously rubbed his hands against his clothes at the reminder of the event quickly had the twins at his side, and Emelie and Doufaran both tutted and reminded him that there was no blood on his hands.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_An Offer_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Just a warning here, when Em uses her power her seduction tends to rise, so be prepared for that.”  
“Don't worry Kage, I am old and strong, the power of a young succubus, even one as strong as her, won't hold much sway over me.”  
Takeshi noticed that since the greeting the old smith had not once mentioned Emelie being a lilim, he would use her name, or refer to her as a succubus, but never lilim, but Takeshi understood why he did it, he didn't want to risk violating his oath by accidentally saying too much.  
He watched as Doufaran handed Emelie one of the ingots and told her to channel her power into it and he couldn't help feeling a surge of pride when when he picked up on the telltale signs that Doufaran was affected by her power.  
“She is indeed strong, but I am able to resist her, at least as long as she is not intentionally trying to seduce me, not so sure I could handle that. You have fed her very well young Kage.”  
There was a teasing quality to Doufaran's voice that made Takeshi's senses tingle, and he quickly realized the old smith was actually flirting with him.  
_“Take, did he just hit on you?”  
_The familiar relayed Emelie's thoughts with a hint of amused curiosity.  
_“Mhm.”  
“And will you welcome his advances?”  
“Well, I __**am**_ _curious. But I won't do anything unless you're okay with it.”  
“I think I am actually. I'm getting the feeling he's mostly curious as well.”_

“Now now younglings, It's not nice to talk behind the back of your elders.”  
Doufaran had clearly picked up on Emelie's distraction and the way her aura fluctuated and guess the cause.  
“Sorry about that, but I needed to ask him a few things in private.”  
“I see.”  
There was a slight displeased edge to Doufaran's voice that Takeshi had a hard time placing exactly what it meant.  
“You should know that demons have a much higher occurrence of non heterosexual individuals, with omnisexuality being the most common variety.”  
It would seem Doufaran had misinterpreted her behavior as a distaste for the fact that he was a male, showing interest in another male.  
“Mhm, Take already explained about that. It's apparently the same for youkai. Something to do with the combination of long lifespans and the mating bonds. With such a long lifespan monogamy can be troublesome, and mates often find it easier to accept a lover of the same gender as they are less likely to be a threat to their position.”  
“She was merely asking me to confirm that you really were flirting, and let me know she is not intending to invoke her rights as my co-alpha.”  
Takeshi chose to speak up to defuse the situation.  
It was the right of the co-alpha of a pack to refuse any member, including the dominant alpha, the privilege to approach a non pack-member.  
“I see. Apologies, it would seem I judged you unfairly. Demons are not spared prejudice and bigotry.”  
“Don't worry. I'm not offended.”  
“Good. Now try this one.”

Doufaran handed her a round disc made of pale pink jade and the yelp when the purifying reiki of the crystal zapped her had everyone laughing, effectively ending the somewhat tense and uncomfortable moment.  
“That, my sweet Em is a _Shinkyō_ , a Shinto sacred mirror. This particular one has been blessed by a Miko with purifying reiki, making it zap any youki or demonic energy that touches it. Why do you think he handed it to you on a tray?”  
There was a moment of silence before Emelie glared at Doufaran.  
“Because he can't touch it...”  
“Indeed.”

On a whim Takeshi reached over and focused on what he had been taught as a child before touching the mirror with reiki, making it glow a soft pink, then after a moment to refocus, touched it with the power of the blessing, which caused it to change to a pale lime green and another refocus later he touched it with the power of the dragon within, and was instantly zapped by an angry blue bolt.

“You know that shouldn't be possible, right?”  
Doufaran's complaint made Takeshi smile and agree, it should indeed not be possible.  
“How about you little ones, would you like to try?”  
Doufaran held out the tray toward the twins, who gave Takeshi a hesitant look.  
“It's okay, you don't have any demonic energy, it won't zap you.”  
Takeshi was a bit curious to see how the shinkyō would react to the twins, he had a suspicion that it would just glow pink though due to their youth, but if he was right there might be hints of the green that was so common in natural healers.  
As suspected it gave of a gentle pink glow when Sarah touched it, but there was a hint of a rainbow shimmer along the edge that made Takeshi curious, he had never heard of anything like it before.  
“It's pretty...”  
When Maria touched it as well the rainbow shimmer grew stronger, but the pink glow still dominated.

“Okay girls, how about you help me fetch the rest of the food and stuff from the Blackout while Doufaran-sensei and Em work on finding the materials needed?”  
Takeshi allowed them to inspect the jade mirror for a while before grabbing their attention.  
He didn't really need any help, he just wanted to distract the twins so that Doufaran and Emelie could focus on the task at hand.  
“Okay!”

It took several trips to bring the cargo up to the house, but the twins were more than happy to walk next to the modified cargo cart while Takeshi pulled it in his wolf form.  
Rather than just shifting into the harness as he usually would he had the twins help strap him in to make them feel like they were helping as the boxes were too heavy for them, they were quite helpful with getting the ratchet straps into place though.

Once the cargo was moved Takeshi set up in Doufaran's small kitchen and had the twins help him cook a very generous meal.

 

 


	2. Revelations

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Revelations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“You have outdone yourself this time Kage!”  
Doufaran praised Takeshi's cooking as he bit into the smoked leg of a young reindeer that Takeshi had brought for him.  
“Doufaran-sensei, please. Would you call me by my name, or Take, even kid, boy, _d_ _ō_ _ji_ , anything but Kage! Please....”  
Takeshi was unsure why, but something about hearing the old demon call him Kage didn't sit right with him and he just couldn't stand it anymore.  
The twins instantly reacted to his sudden emotional pain by curling into his side and baring blunt teeth at Doufaran in a surprisingly realistic growl.  
“Of course, Take. But only if you, all of you, agree to drop the honorifics and address me as Faran.”  
“I think we can agree to that. Right ladies?”  
Takeshi turned to the others with a somewhat weak smile, lacking some of the usually confident edge and Emelie and the twins instantly agreed to addressing Doufaran as _Faran_ only.  
“If we are done being down, how about you show me what else you have made?”

Takeshi was more than happy to allow himself to be pulled along by Doufaran's boisterous mood and quickly offered him a piece of crispy bread with slices of cured salmon on.

With the meal done attention was turned back toward making Emelie's training weapon, they were not done selecting materials, but she needed to rest for a while to recover her energies from the unfamiliar strain of the testing.  
“I have a few ideas for the design of a more versatile training weapon that I would like to try. What do you say? Want to be my guinea pig?”  
“What kind of ideas?”  
She was curious, but a bit suspicious, she had decided that the old smith was clearly quite insane.  
“Well, there are several different weapons that have a simple staff as their base. There is of course the plain staff, then you have the reinforced combat staff with its heavier ends, and then we have various bladed staffs and scythes.”  
“Mhm.”  
She nodded and hummed while looking at the drawings he was making.  
“If I make a plain staff that is slightly shorter than what you need, I could make attachments that would let you change style by simply adding or removing them.”  
The idea of a more versatile training weapon had Takeshi curious as well and before long they were all sitting around the table tossing ideas about, the twins included, though the twins' suggestions were mostly cosmetic.  
Doufaran made no difference between them though, he noted down their suggestions just as seriously as he did Takeshi's and Emelie's, something that Takeshi was very grateful for as the sense of inclusion not only kept them from growing too bored, it would also be good for their confidence.

“Time for bed ladies.”  
Takeshi interrupted their latest drawing session that had yielded a few surprisingly good looking weapons, though maybe not entirely practical they could make excellent display or parade items.  
“But...!”  
As expected the twins did not want to go to bed, despite barely being able to stay awake.  
“No buts. You can continue in the morning.”  
“I trust you remember the way to the hot spring?”  
Doufaran's mention of a hot spring instantly had the twins perking up.  
“Oh, can we take a bath before bed?”  
“Of course I remember, and yes, you can have a short bath before bed.”  
“Yay!”  
“Sarah! Maria!”  
The scolding tone instantly had them ducking their heads and apologizing for being loud.  
“Sweetie, if I show you to the hot spring, could you get them ready for bed while Faran and I set up the tent?”  
“Of course.”  
She was more than happy to leave the tent raising to Takeshi.  
The tent for the twins was quite large, and the large solar panels made it quite heavy as well, it was not made for hiking, but rather to offer all the comforts possible, and access to common technology.  
Solar panels powered climate control, lights, and the panel also acted as a simple satellite array that gave reasonable access to the global network while camping, to make sure the twins could keep up with their studies while they were away.

 

Between Takeshi and Doufaran, carrying the heavy boxes with the equipment in was an easy task, and not too long after they had it set up, though the old demon left the tech parts to Takeshi to handle.  
“You know, fatherhood suits you well.  
“So I have been told.”  
Takeshi huffed slightly as he finished adding pillows and blankets just as Emelie came chasing the twins toward them.  
“Alright you little rascals, in you go.”  
There was a short mock chase before the twins were caught and deposited in their tent and it didn't take long before they were sound asleep.

With the girls sleeping they returned to the forge and the conversation quickly shifted toward what Takeshi had been up to since last time Doufaran had seen it, but it was not without issues as it constantly reminded Takeshi of where they had last met, which had him rubbing his hands against his clothes to try to remove blood that was not there.  
“Come, let's retire to the springs shall we?”  
“Good idea Faran, they looked amazing!”  
Emelie quickly seconded the suggestion, no doubt picking up on what the real reason was, distracting Takeshi from wiping his hands.

“Ooh, definitely not a mere boy anymore.”  
Doufaran's pleased hum as Takeshi began to undress made Emelie snicker at them, though she did blush slightly when she noted his rather obvious reaction when Takeshi stretched slightly, showing of his flexibility.  
“Faran, what did he look like when he was younger?”  
Emelie's curiosity quickly got the better of her.  
“He had the same pretty face but he was all lean and willowy, like a youth who has not quite grown into their body. He has filled out quite a bit since then, and it suits him well.”  
Doufaran stepped closer, obviously checking Takeshi out while humming appreciatively.  
“You wear your dragon well. She clearly favors you to have have given you such a powerful mark.”  
Taking another step closer he reached out and brushed his hand over the tattoo, earning him a soft hiss as Takeshi sucked in a breath.  
“There is something I have been wanting to do ever since I saw you being crowned champion of the tower.”  
Takeshi actually tensed up for a moment when Doufaran wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, but moments later he relaxed and rested his head against the offered shoulder.  
“Had the Fates permitted it I would have killed those elders of yours and taken you both away from there, to the demon realm, raised you as my own.”  
Doufaran spoke with conviction, but Takeshi shook his head gently.  
“No. It is the way it had to be. For Em to live, the twins, the girls back home, so many others.”  
Takeshi may not like it, or accept it, but he did understand to a certain degree how much would have been lost without his suffering.

“There is one more thing I have been wanting to do.”  
Doufaran's voice gained a teasing edge as he carefully took hold of Takeshi's chin and tilted his head so he could kiss him.  
For a moment Takeshi savored the kiss for what it was and allowed it to be a vent for his emotions, but the moment soon passed and instincts he wasn't entirely familiar with began to object and he voiced a low warning growl that made Doufaran drop him like a hot potato.  
“Aw, don't be like that. I'm just testing, teasing.”  
Doufaran huffed and laughed, and the growling slowly abated.  
“What happened?”  
Emelie's question held an edge of concern that quickly had both the males calm and focused.  
“Take here in the dominant type, a true alpha. And as such he does not appreciate anyone trying to make him submit. So he reacted rather badly when I pushed a bit to see if he would allow me to take him. I suspected as much, but I had to try at least. Some alphas, especially young ones, sometimes allow themselves to be dominated by someone they are willing to bed if it's someone older, someone they trust, or someone stronger.”  
While he spoke Doufaran held out his arms toward Takeshi, and nodded a silent promise that he wouldn't try to take a more dominant position if he was just allowed to hold him.  
“Unfortunately this means this is about as exciting as things will get. I'm an old alpha, while it means I'm hard to provoke and challenge, it also means I'm set in my ways and won't let a pup who isn't even fully manifested take a dominant position with me.”

While they soaked Doufaran explained that some of the older alphas could handle letting a younger alpha take a dominant position as long as the youth was weaker than them, and thus not a threat, but he himself was not one of those.  
And he also instinctively recognized Takeshi's strength as a potential threat, making it unlikely that he would ever be able to allow him such liberties.  
“Em, sweetie, how are you handling all of this?”  
Takeshi could tell that she was bothered by something from the way her tail nearly crushed his wrist.  
“I...”  
She sighed deeply before starting over.  
“Does it make any sense if I say it bothers me that it doesn't bother me?”  
“Actually, it makes perfect sense.”  
Takeshi laughed at her somewhat crooked expression while agreeing that he did understand what she was trying to say.

The amusement at Emelie's concerns finally broke the somewhat tense atmosphere and they all began to truly relax, even Takeshi who found it to be rather pleasant to just be held once they were done finding where the lines needed to be drawn.

 

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“Take, would you man the bellows please?”  
It was finally time to melt the materials selected for Emelie's training weapon.  
“Of course.”  
Takeshi nodded and stepped up to the large twin bellows and detached the arm that lead to the engine that would normally operate them.  
“Is something wrong with the engine?”  
Emelie's question made both the males snicker before Takeshi began explaining.  
“No at all. Faran wants me to infuse the air with a bit of my power, that way my power will fuse with the metal, making it recognize me as an ally, allowing me to safely handle it even after it has been turned into a true weapon for you.”  
“Oh, I see.”  
She gave him a slightly sheepish smile.  
“That's not the only reason though.”  
Doufaran added before holding up a small ingot.  
“It's the only way to add this to the melt.”  
“Is that what remains from my blades?”  
“It is. I figured it would help strengthen her weapon and make sure any powers she may fuse into it won't harm you too much.”  
There was a somewhat hesitant pause.  
“But if you don't want me to use it I won't”  
“Oh no, not at all. If you feel it would improve the result, please go ahead.”  
“I won't use all of it though, I have a few other things I intend to make while I'm able to work this stuff.”  
Takeshi quickly nodded, giving his permission to use the alloy infused with his power.  
“Please, do keep a bit for yourself. You deserve to have some way of knowing if I'm still among the living.”  
“Thank you.”

“Faran, are you sure you weren't just after having something nice to look at while working?”  
Emelie's teasing question made Takeshi huff.  
Working the bellows was hard work, and even with the movable forge walls down the heat was quite intense, so he was only wearing a simple fundoshi style loincloth, which offered a rather nice view as he worked.  
“Hmm, a nice bonus indeed, but just a bonus.”  
Carefully tilting the small crucible as he spoke he hummed to himself, apparently satisfied with the result.  
“Em, would you fetch the wire ingot mold for me please?”  
“Of course, which one?”  
Emelie quickly walked over to the wall where Doufaran kept his smaller molds.  
“Second row, furthest to the left.”  
“This one?”  
“Mhm.”  
Emelie quickly gave him the item and he poured some of the molten metal into the holes, making three small ingots before emptying the crucible into the larger one.  
“If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to make?”  
“A little something for your little girls. Remember that rock they found yesterday when I was showing you the island?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Well, it's a really nice black opal, and I talked them into allowing me to make something for them out of it. It's going to take me a while to prepare the opal, but when done I will make a fitting from that metal. I think having something with a touch of his energy will help them feel safer.”  
Hearing his reasoning she reached out with her tail and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and they could both feel Takeshi's aura reaching out in a similar manner, thanking the old smith for his concern.

“Faran, I'm a bit curious, opals aren't supposed to be found around here, are they?”  
Emelie's curiosity got the better of her, and she was prepared to get scolded for bothering him, but it seemed he didn't mind.  
“No, you're right, but I have a deal with the spirit of this volcano. I help keep humans from settling here, and offer her certain comforts, and in return she enriches the lava-flow and makes the volcano spit up some nice treats every now and then.”  
The comment about offering certain comforts had both Takeshi and Emelie snickering, while the twins looked confused.  
“She is an old spirit, and lonely, so I keep her company.”  
It wasn't the entire truth, but it was close enough and the twins nodded and agreed that no one should be lonely, and demanded he thank her for the pretty rock from them next time he met her which he promised he would.

“It's beautiful...”  
Emelie turned the finished staff in her hands with a hint of awe, watching how the metal shimmered in various deep purples ranging from the blueish indigo to the more reddish fuchsia over a lavender and lilac base.  
“This is what your power has done to the metal. The purples, that's you, your power. It's your power that gives it this beauty.”  
Doufaran allowed her to inspect her new weapon for a while before urging her and Takeshi to do some sparring.  
“It's the only way to get a proper feel for it.”  
“Mhm, I know.”  
“And you Take better bring out the blades I made for you.”  
The deep sigh and huff that followed made it quite clear that Takeshi had been hoping to avoid doing just that, but he just couldn't refuse a direct request.  
The sparring session quickly became quite intense as Takeshi and Emelie both wanted to show off a bit, but as usual it ended with Emelie having to surrender, this time with the tip of Takeshi's blade at her throat.

“She has a lot of potential, she will no doubt be as deadly as they come once she learn to control her power. And you Take, you have grown greatly. Let me see the blades.”  
Takeshi nodded and handed Doufaran the blades.  
“You have taken good care of them, but with your permission I would like to realign, hone and reinforce the edges a bit to make them better able to withstand your new level of strength. I'm guessing you need to hone them quite often?”  
“To be honest, I have only used the blades in contact sparring once since my change as it was quite obvious the edge couldn't handle it and I didn't want to risk causing any real damage to the blades when I could avoid it.”  
“I see. Don't worry, I will make sure they can handle your strength and then some. Come on, lets see how strong you have become first.”  
Doufaran shooed them back toward the forge where he handed Takeshi a metal rod and told him to hit the dummy outside as hard as he was able to.  
“Ah, I see I see. It will take me some time to strengthen the metal, would you be willing to leave them with me for a few weeks?”  
“Of course not Faran. I have the Ryuken if I absolutely need a blade.”  
“I will start working on them once I'm done with the jewelry I'm making then.”  
Takeshi quickly nodded his agreement, though it was an odd feeling to not have the blades within his soul as he was used to.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Revelations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Come here girls, it's done.”  
Doufaran called for the twins and they instantly dropped their books and rushed over.  
“Now, can you agree on who will get which piece?”  
“Yeah, and if we can't agree we will just have to alternate.”  
“That's good.”  
Holding out a box he slowly removed the lid to show them the contents.  
“Wow, so pretty!”  
The twins awed voices made Takeshi and Emelie lean in slightly to get a proper look.  
“Those fittings are amazing!”  
Emelie quickly agreed with the twins.  
The the black opals were fitted in an elaborate filigree fitting that was an amazing piece of jewelry on it's own, and yet brought the focus to the dark stone with it's deep blue and purple shimmer and flashes.  
“Would you mind if I used them for inspiration to make a few pieces of my own?”  
“Of course not.”  
Turning back to the girls he removed the pendants from the box.

“Now, this has a secret. Just like the two of you, they become greater than the sum of the parts when brought together.”  
Placing the two pieces next to each other he pressed them together and with a few twists and turns they locked together to reveal a larger piece, even the stones fitting together perfectly, and revealing a flower that looked a bit like a ball dahlia.  
Once they clicked into place the metal fitting began to glow gently, further enhancing the beauty of the opal.  
“Wow...”  
He quickly separated the two pieces again and held them out to the twins.  
“Now, I'm going to show you once more, and I'm going to teach Take how to do it, but then you will have to figure out how to do it yourself.”  
“Okay!”  
Both of them were obviously eager to figure out the secret to how to join the two pieces.

“Take, I have something for you as well. Your payment carries far more value than the price I agreed upon, and you did gift me with the final piece of the metal from your blades.”  
Takeshi just nodded and accepted the small paper box and on Doufaran's prompting he opened it to reveal a deceptively simple pendant featuring a dragon claw fitting that held a dark red stone.  
“Is that a black fire opal?”  
Emelie leaned in to get a closer look at the pendant.  
“No... It's not...”  
Takeshi's voice was low, and held a hint of awe.  
“Then what is it?”  
“It's dragon-stone. Crystallized blood.”  
“Well I **am** dragon kin after all.”  
Doufaran laughed at Takeshi's awed reaction but instantly fell silent as Takeshi used a sharp fang to bite into his own thumb before gathering some blood in his hand and closing it, only to open it to reveal a perfect drop shaped crystal of fiery red.  
“Kiryu-sama taught me how to do it a long time ago. She also taught me a bit about the value a dragon-stone can hold.”  
He offered the crystal to Doufaran who nodded and accepted it, then after a moment of consideration Takeshi attached the pendant to the belt clip of his key chain.

The same evening they shared one last meal before Takeshi and Emelie herded the twins toward the blackout.  
“Thank you for everything Faran.”  
“You're welcome, now you be careful out there kids.”  
“We will.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Revelations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi was with Emelie going through the latest spear kata he was teaching her when the twins came running, almost running into the ropes around the training area they began jumping up and down, barely able to contain themselves as they waited for Takeshi and Emelie to finish their session.  
After quite a few scoldings trying to stop them from running into the training area Takeshi had finally resorted to using _command_ , forcing them to stay outside the ropes.  
While he didn't like using _command_ on them, it was for their own safety and the _command_ would lift on its own once they had learned not to run up to them while they were training.

“What's the matter girls?”  
He asked them once they had settled down slightly.  
“They are hatching!”  
They both called out excitedly.  
“Hurry! You're gonna miss it!”  
A tingle along his aura alerted Takeshi to danger and he turned back to Emelie just in time to evade her tail, but not in time to prevent the heavy metal butt of her training weapon from connecting squarely with his jaw, sending him sprawling and when he looked up he was met with a grinning Emelie who rested the bladed tip just above his sternum, a clean _kill_.  
“Yay, Emmy won!”  
The twins cheered when they saw him go down and stay there.

“Hmm, I guess distractions can kill even the best.”  
She teased as she waited for him to acknowledge her win and when he delayed she put a bit more pressure on her spear, just enough to draw blood which rewarded her with him tapping on the ground and giving her a short _Matte!_ , signaling his surrender.  
As much as he hated admitting defeat he couldn't help feeling proud, the attack had been well planned and the execution was near perfect, had be been a regular human he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, more likely than not not he would never get up again, and yet he knew she had been holding back her strength, a lot.  
Answering her grin with one of his own he slowly pushed the spear aside before flipping back to his feet and rewarding her win with a kiss.

“Let's go see what those two decided to become, shall we?”  
After placing their spears back in the shed they headed up to the house and to the small basement room where the eggs holding the souls of the twins unborn sisters had been resting since Emelie had extracted them from their mother to allow them to live.  
They had no idea what kind of creatures they would become but Takeshi was silently hoping it wouldn't be anything too energetic since the twins were plenty enough on their own.

When the eggs finally broke open they both revealed black snakes with deep red markings, the patterns a perfect mirror of each other.  
The shape of their heads and muscular bodies revealed them to be some sort of constrictor, but Takeshi was unable to classify them as any specific species, the patterns didn't look like any snake he had ever heard of.  
Chances were that they were unique hybrids like so many other of the creatures they had living with them, but he had a feeling that these would not be tiny versions like most of them, something told him these would grow into behemoths.

“Look! Isn't she pretty?”  
Sarah held up one of the snakes to him and he carefully took it from her hands and showed her how to properly hold it, allowing it to move freely while still giving it support so it wouldn't fall and how to handle it so that it wouldn't bite her, while it wouldn't intentionally bite them unless they hurt it, it could still strike out on instinct and that could hurt both the girls and the snakes.  
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Maria do the same with the other snake, presenting it to Emelie and her serpent slithered down to inspect the new family member, and after a few flicks of its tongue it returned to its usual place around Emelie's upper arm and as it settled down he could hear the Mother speak through it, the tone laced with humor.  
_**“Titanoboa, interesting choice. You will have your hands full with these little ones.”  
**_

_Titanoboa_ , it was the prehistoric ancestor of the _Boidae_ family, according to fossil records it could grow to an impressive 15 meters and weigh over 900 kg and he suspected that like its modern descendants the females were the largest.  
Takeshi almost groaned, sometimes he hated being right and with his luck they would grow to be giants, for their species.  
“Looks like you girls will need to learn to fish, until these babies get big enough to safely hunt on their own they will need us to catch live fish for them.”  
“But, I thought the Children of the Sanctuary didn't need to eat?”  
Diane piped up with confusion when he paused.  
“That is correct, but these girls are not Children of the Sanctuary, they are normal snakes.”  
“But, don't snakes live like really short time?”  
Sarah cried out, worried that she would lose her baby sisters which earned her a light growl, scolding her for interrupting him.  
“Don't worry, I can feel the Blessing in them.”  
“But, they can't speak! The Blessed can speak!”  
He was once again interrupted by Sarah and this time he gave her a light nip on the ear as reprimand for interrupting and she instantly responded with a low whine, he was still rather amazed at how well the twins took to being treated like unruly pups.  
“They are still much too young, just like a human baby they need to grow up a bit and learn to speak first, but they will live long, healthy lives. But while they are this small they are still mostly snake, when they get older they will become more like us.”  
The twins nodded before they turned their focus back to the, for the moment, tiny snakes.  
“Let's go fish then, shall we?”  
His suggestion was meet with cheering from the younger girls, and groans from the older.

 

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Since the snakes were still tiny they needed to catch small fish for them, much smaller than could be caught with a rod or the regular nets and traps they used to fish for food for themselves so Takeshi grabbed a piece of mosquito netting from one of his packs and a roll of thick metal wire was soon added to his burden.  
A sewing kit and a handful of the Sanctuary crystals quickly found their way into hidden pockets as well and as they walked down to the lagoon he cut down a few nice, straight saplings.  
While the girls watched he quickly crafted bags from the netting and threaded them with hoops of wire to keep them open, additional wire was used to attach the hoops to the saplings, making a few simple handheld nets that looked like butterfly nets.  
He would order some quality ones in the evening, but these would do nicely until those could be delivered.

Armed with nets and buckets Emelie took the younger girls to the part of the lagoon where the volcanic cliffs cut into the water, and the retreating tide formed numerous small tidal pools that trapped a wide selection of small fish and crustaceans and much to the girls joy a number of small octopuses also made the pools their home.  
While they splashed around catching fish Takeshi had the older girls help him dig a big hole that would be turned into a feeding pool.  
Or, well, he dug and the girls helped him by pulling away the dirt.  
Once he was satisfied with the size he took the crystals and began pushing his aura into them, shaping them into a thin, slightly flexible mesh that acted like a tarp, it would keep water in the pool while also making sure the water was completely free of any harmful substances or organisms.  
It would also help remove most of the salt to reduce the risk of problems, the salt content would slowly be increased as they grew older to help them adapt to hunting in the lagoon.

Another set of crystals were reshaped into a fine mesh netting to cover the pool, keeping debris from falling into it and making sure no birds or other predators could reach the inhabitants.  
With the base of the pool completed he went to the boathouse and picked up one of the bilge pump carts, each cart held a powerful, submersible pump, a compact power-cell and a large reel of flat hose, the powerful pump made quick work of filling the newly dug pool and with the application of his Qi the water was soon safe for the twin snakes to swim around in.  
With a sharp whistle he alerted the _fishing-expedition_ that they were ready for them to return with their catch and when they came running he couldn't help laughing.  
Alice and Anne were both struggling to carry a pair of rather large octopuses and the slithery creatures were not being particularly cooperative, while they had a good grip on the head to keep the beak away from them the arms were all over them.  
Emelie trailed behind them, ready to help them if needed, but the grin on her face told him that she had no intention of doing anything unless the girls risked getting hurt beyond a few hickeys from the suckers and a bruised ego, but as long as they stayed clear of the beak they should be fine.

“Ooh, octopus dinner for me! How nice of you!”  
Takeshi teased when they finally made it to them.  
“Catch your own!”  
“These are ours!”  
The objections were instant and rather loud.  
“ **We** are having octopus tonight. If you cook them you can taste a bite.”  
He knew of course that it was their plan all along, they both loved squid and octopus in every conceivable form and it had taken a few stern talks before they stopped trying to catch all the baby octopuses in the tidal pools.  
“I think I might just go catch a few more after we are done feeding these babies. Come on girls bring those buckets here and gather around.”

He explained that today he would help feed them so that they could conserve what energy they had left after the hatching but after today they would have to catch their own food in the pool he had made for them.  
Taking one of the snakes in one hand he pulled out a pair of chopsticks seemingly from nowhere with the other hand and used them to hold one of the small fish by the tail while explaining to the girls that they didn't want the young snakes to associate their hands with food since they would be acting mostly on instinct until they got older it might cause them to bite.  
It didn't take much coaxing to get the snakes to bite and devour the small fish, and once they both were fed they poured the remaining fish into the pool where they would stay alive and well until it was their time to become dinner.

“So, who wants to come help me catch some more treats for dinner?”  
“Me! Me! Me!”  
Amanda was instantly jumping at him begging him to let her be he one to help him.  
He knew she wasn't really interested in helping him catch food, all she wanted was a chance to go to the lagoon and use the diving gear so she could swim with Stormborn.  
She had a fierce fascination with the ancient creature once known as Wanderer, Elder and Ancient and part of him suspected that they would lose her to the sea, that she would one day ask for the Blessing so that she would be able to shed her humanity and become a dweller of the deep.  
And he would grant it to her, though he intended to make sure she completed a proper education first.  
The same way he knew that there was a fairly high probability that Melissa would abandon humanity in favor of becoming one with the winds.  
Whenever the winds picked up he could find her out by the cliffs staring into the wind and he could feel a solemn note in her aura along with an almost overwhelming longing and he suspected that once she had learned to properly use the forms of the various birds she would leave them to find her own path, following the winds.

“Lissa, you come along as well, you need to practice your transformations.”  
Melissa groaned but did as he asked, she wanted to learn to fly but he insisted she learn the same way he had, land and water before she attempt to challenge the skies.  
He quickly helped Amanda with the breathing gear, making sure everything was in order, he also attached an extra of the small emergency air-tubes to her gear in case Melissa had problems with her transformation.  
While there was no risk of her running out of air since they were not going very deep, her modified physiology as a Blessed would easily let her swim to the surface in case she lost her transformation, it made her feel safer to know there was an air-tank within her reach.  
With everything ready he grabbed his _fishing-belt_ , originally it was a bandoleer made for shotgun shells but instead of shells it now held CO2 floaters.  
Each floater consisted of a durable balloon, a small CO2 canister, just large enough to inflate the balloon, packed tightly into the shape and size of a 12 gauge shotgun shell, at the bottom of each _'shell'_ a small carabiner was attached which made it easy to attach the floaters to various items that you wanted to bring to the surface.  
In this case they would be attached to Kumo-silk mesh bags used to hold their catch, once the prey had been placed in the mesh bag the floater would be attached and triggered, bringing it to the surface where they could be easily rounded up when they were done.  
Of course it was easier said than done to wrangle a live squid or octopus into the mesh bags, but what fun was fishing if there was no challenge in it?  
Once in the water they were quickly greeted by Stormborn who seemed to be aware of the recent events.

“ _I sense new life, the cycle continues.”  
“They touched your aura, they are kin but their patterns unknown.”  
“Not your sisters nor your mates. The others too young.”  
“Explain?”_

As usual it took a moment to decipher what was being asked, it knew about the newly hatched babies and it could tell from how traces of their aura clung to him that they were somehow family but it didn't understand how, it could tell that neither Kasumi nor Emelie, whom it had taken to referring to as his mate, was the mother and as it stated, the other girls were too young to be mothers.  
_“After the storm of rebirth we went to take out the vermin who birthed the twins and sold them to the sharks. Once there we found that the foul female was once again carrying, and it is beneath us to harm the innocent, even if unborn.”_  
He explained as they swam side by side toward the reef area where he knew he would be able to find his prey.  
_“Somehow Emelie was able to capture their souls and protect them as she tore them from the unworthy womb and transferred them to her familiar, as a true child of the mother the serpent was able to place the souls into eggs and lay them so that they could be born and allowed to live. And now they have hatched and according to the Mother their form is that of the Titanoboa.”  
_There was a long silence before it responded and he could feel its mind searching for memories older than mankind. _  
_

“ _A most ancient form, a worthy rebirth of a kin long lost.”  
“She is strange, that mate of yours.”  
“A demon forever barred from the Blessing.”  
“And yet a soul so pure, fury and a Mother true.”  
_

Its words made him pause for a moment. _  
“What do you mean, barred from the Blessing?”  
_He had to know what it meant. _  
_

“ _She is demon, she is_ _ **Lilim**_ _.”  
“Fathered by The Moonless Night.”  
“A night born from the union of Lilith and the eternal Shadow.”  
“The Mother cannot bless what is not hers.”  
_

“ _But,_ _ **She**_ _asked me if I intended to grant the blessing, wouldn't she have known it was not possible?”  
_

“ _Those born of Lilim and human are always one or the other, never both.”  
“Entirely human, even to the eyes of the Mother.”  
“Until the day they become, other.”  
“Then human no more, never again, forever beyond the Blessing.”  
_

“ _So when we visited_ _ **Her**_ _, Em was still entirely human, and_ _ **She**_ _could not tell?”  
_There was no answer, just a feeling of agreement, confirmation and it wasn't until several minutes later that Takeshi realized that it had referred to Emelie's father as if it knew him.  
_“Wait, you know who her father is?”  
_

“ _We have meet through the ages, Wanderers crossing paths”  
“Born of Lilith he is Power, Passion and the Darkness of his father, the Shadow.”  
“His father an Avatar in his own right, granting power unknown.”  
“Power beyond the realm of the Mother, and of Lilith.”  
_

“ _Do you know where her father is now?”  
_The possibility of being able to locate Emelie's father had Takeshi tossing caution and manners to the wind. _  
_

“ _He walks the Obsidian Halls, Hand to the Light who Fell.”  
“The lord of the Obsidian Halls, cursed not to walk the realm of men.”  
“As the lord sees through the mists he sends his Hand into the world to act.”  
“Perhaps he was sent to father her, a worthy companion for your path?”  
_

“ _You said her grandfather is an Avatar, what does that mean?”  
_

“ _The Avatars are power manifest, the purest essence of their nature.”  
”I am a Lesser Avatar of Memory, able to recall the memories of the very world we live in”  
“The Shadow, a Greater Avatar of the Balance between Light and Dark.”  
“The Mother, she is the Avatar of Life, a Prime, the closest thing there is to Gods.”  
_

“ _......”  
“And you, you are one who may one day become Avatar of Hope, and more.”  
_Its final thought however was never shared as it swam away, leaving Takeshi to consider it's words, and he decided he would speak to Emelie about it after dinner

With dinner captured Takeshi spent a while working with Melissa's transformations while Amanda joined Stormborn, swimming lazy circles around them, but he was distracted by what he had just found out.  
It was about an hour later when he could feel Kasumi tugging on their bond, telling him that it was time to get out of the water, get cleaned up and start working on dinner, feeding four adults, one of them a glutton who ate for five and ten kids made preparing food quite the chore.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Revelations_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“So, tell me kid, what's the plans for the holidays, and your big day?”  
The dinner conversation quickly shifted towards the upcoming holidays and much to Takeshi's horror, his upcoming birthday.  
“Oh right, it's your 40th isn't it?”  
Emelie's addition made Takeshi groan slightly.  
“What?!”  
“No way!”  
The girls were all rather shocked to hear that it was his 40th, quite understandable though since he didn't look a day over 25.  
Melissa's reaction had both Kasumi and Emelie snickering in his mind, teasing accusations of corrupting the youth.  
In the short time she had been living with them she had developed quite the crush on him and she was now rather mortified to find he was old enough to be her father.  
While the so-called adults of the house teased him mercilessly about the matter the other girls gave Melissa a similar treatment.

It was decided that Kasumi and Matthews would take the girls to Honolulu for some seasonal shopping, there was several typical Christmas dishes and treats the girls wanted, as well as shopping for presents.  
Takeshi and Emelie would go on another day closer to Christmas to buy the bulk of food items that would not store well and the twins instantly begged to go with them instead, something that was quickly agreed on.  
Takeshi wouldn't be buying any additional gifts though, after they returned from Ginza he had talked to his tech-supplier and ordered modified versions of the phones the girls had picked out in Ginza, or more precisely, high-tech equipment made to look like the phones they picked, and software that would mimic their operation to a cursory glance.  
When they were finally delivered he had decided to wait and give them as Christmas presents, they would also receive some of the jewelry pieces he and Emelie had been making for them.  
But there would be no lack of smaller gifts as Kasumi would pick out a selection for each of the girls to complement the main gifts and he was sure Emelie would be picking out a few items as well when they went shopping.  
And he wasn't all that sure that his own plans not to buy anything would remain intact in the face of the twins enthusiasm.  
He dreaded what kind of insanity they would plan for his birthday though, especially Kasumi and Matthews seemed to have something planned, Emelie probably knew what but he was less worried about what she would do.

When dinner was over and everything cleaned up Takeshi asked Emelie to join him in the hidden garden, the small private corner of the garden was shielded to prevent others from seeing or hearing what happened inside.  
He needed to talk to her about what he had found out about her father even if he didn't understand all of it himself, it gave him hope that the demon was alive, and that perhaps he did care, perhaps he had not abandoned her, at least not by choice.  
Once they were inside and the wards activated Emelie stepped up to him but there was hesitation in her movements as she worried something was wrong and he wrapped his aura around her to soothe her, when she had calmed down he sat down and motioned for her to join him.

“I spoke with Stormborn today and he told me something rather interesting, it seems he knows your father.”  
He paused and waited for her reaction and as expected she reacted rather strongly once she realized just what he had said.  
“Wait! You said he _knows_ him, not _knew_! He's alive, my father is alive?”  
“So it seems, but keep in mind that Stormborn is still adjusting to our way of thinking, it could be several thousand years since he last met your father and to him it would be no different than if it had been last week.”  
Takeshi cautioned her.  
“But from what he told me of your father he is not someone that would be easy to kill. He is a first generation Lilim, born from Lilith herself and a powerful shadow demon. If I understood his syntax, his choice of words, correctly, your grandfather is not just **a** shadow demon, but The Shadow, the progenitor of the species.”  
He could feel her temper stir and before he had a chance to explain further she snapped, though to be honest he expected her to.

“So chances are pretty damn high he is alive then, he just chose to abandon mom after getting her pregnant? He just chose to leave it to chance if I would grow up to be human or demon, and if I would survive the change!”  
She bit out with a mix of a sob and a snarl.  
“I wish you hadn't said anything! I would rather have believed him dead than know he abandoned us!”  
She snarled at him before suddenly crumbling into a sobbing heap.  
He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her forehead and tried to soothe her.  
“Ssh, easy, you are not alone.”  
Dealing with her fears of betrayal and abandonment, especially in regards to family, was an ongoing struggle.  
She had improved greatly in the years since she chose to come with him but there was times when her old fears would surface.

“Your father might not have chosen to leave but rather been forced to.”  
She was still sobbing silently but she was once again calm enough to listen to him.  
“I asked if Stormborn knew where your father is now and he told me he is in a place called the Obsidian Halls where he serves the lord of the place. This lord apparently has been cursed to never set for in the human world and your father serves as his _Hand_ , acting in the human world where the lord cannot.”  
As he spoke he could feel her slowly settle down fully again.  
“He mention that this lord is a seer so perhaps your father knew that you would be okay in the end. He said...”  
He paused for a moment before he spoke again.  
“He said that perhaps your father was sent to bed your mother in order to sire you, that you were meant to come to my side, that your birth was to be for the future of our worlds.”

After a moment reflection he added the words of his beast.  
“The Beast once mention something along the same lines, it was the day you awoke to your demon self. It told me that Lilim are protective of their children and that a Lilim Incubus who has fathered a child by a human would make sure someone was there to guide them through the rebirth, someone able to give them the energy they need to go through it safely.”  
Shifting slightly he added the beasts guess about the reason.  
“It believes that perhaps no one was sent to guide you because I had already been selected to act as your guide, your source of energy and to teach you to deal with your new abilities.”  
He didn't mention the almost jealous possessiveness that the beast had displayed, while he shared its protectiveness and could understand the possessiveness he had never been prone to jealousy.

“Did Stormborn mention my father's name, or the name of this lord he works for?”  
She suddenly asked him.  
“Not really, he referred to your father as _The Moonless Night_  and the lord as _The Light who Fell,_ your grandfather he simply called _The Shadow_.”  
At that she shook her head with a chuckle.  
“He's not much for names is he? Or maybe it's a demon thing?”  
Suddenly she stilled as something occurred to her.  
“You said he called this lord _The Light who Fell_ and that he can't enter our world?”  
Takeshi just nodded and she instantly continued.  
“As you know I took mythology classes back in school, there was an obscure passage in an old text relating to the Abrahamic religions, specifically some of the old legends referring to angels and demons.”  
Now Takeshi was curious, while he had studied religion, mythology and philosophy his studies has been focused on the eastern ones and not much focus on the western legends so he eagerly nodded for her to continue.  
“It told a different version of the story of Lucifer, in the common ones he is an angel that was cast out of heaven for disobeying God and then became the devil, Satan, master of hell, but this one is different.”  
There was a moment of silence as she recalled the old story and she leaned back against him before she began reciting the legend of Lucifer.

 

_Lucifer was to have been one of God's most faithful servants until the creation of man, but when God created Adam from dust and then asked the angels to kneel before Adam and love him as they loved God Lucifer refused.  
Lucifer considered Adam to be a lesser creature than himself since he was created from dust while Lucifer himself was created from the smokeless flame and that the new creature had done nothing to deserve to be loved equal as God._

So far Takeshi was familiar with the story, it was mostly the same story he had studied during his lessons, though the version he recall only spoke of Lucifer refusing to love another above God.  
In the stories he had studied is was the refusal to kneel before Adam that caused Lucifer's fall, but as Emelie continued telling the story it began to take a different path than the ones he remembered.

_Lucifer's refusal to kneel before Adam angered God who accused Lucifer of pride and conceit and withdrew his favor.  
For his crime of pride he was demoted to a simple guard tasked with guarding Heaven and the Garden of Eden, it was this duty as a guard that ultimately caused his fall.  
Over the many years guarding the gates of Heaven Lucifer came to harbor a growing respect for the humans that came before him, their ability and willingness to struggle for survival against all odds.  
But as his respect for man grew, his reverence for his God withered away.  
_

_His discontent grew as he watched:  
_

_A mother being denied entry to Heaven for the crime of theft, she had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her children who starved while her husband was away in war as a conqueror.  
He admired her courage and her protective nature and believed that if anyone should be judged it should be her husband and the community of her village for not aiding her and instead allowing children to starve while they were well fed.  
_

_A man being turned away for having worked on the day of the Sabbath when his father had taken ill and the crops were spoiling in the fields.  
Again he felt that it was the community that had committed the greater sin by feasting on their harvest instead of aiding the sick man and his son in bringing in their harvest before it spoiled.  
_

_A girl, barely more than a child was turned away for dishonoring her parents, adultery and carrying a child out of wedlock.  
The girl had been raped and impregnated by a friend of her father's. When she refused to marry her abuser, who already had 2 wives as was his right at the time, she was stoned for adultery. The man was acquitted of any wrongdoing since he had offered to take her as his wife.  
In Lucifer's eyes the one who deserved death was the man who had raped her, and her parents deserved dishonor for having failed to protect the most precious thing, a child.  
_

_As the years passed and blended into each other he witnessed countless men and women, even children who had committed petty crimes for their survival, or survival of others, being turned away at the gates, he witnessed women being turned away for adultery when they had been the victims of rape and his fury at the injustice grew._

_One day a beautiful young woman came to the gates of Eden and Lucifer instantly fell in love with her, but the other angels guarding the gates turned her away because she was a_ fallen woman _, condemned for adultery.  
She had slept with another man after receiving word that her husband had been killed in war, but the news of his death had been a lie spread by the man who coveted her for himself, when her husband returned and found that she had bedded another man he killed her and now she stood before the gates only to be denied, while her husband was excused for the crime of murder.  
This enraged Lucifer, that the man who had tricked her went unpunished while she was killed and condemned, even by God, who was supposed to know the truth.  
So going behind the back of the other angels and against the decree of God he snuck her into the garden, knowing that once she was inside she would be allowed to stay.  
_

_This angered God who cast Lucifer from the heavens and down into_ Fire and Brimstone _.”  
As a final act of rebellion Lucifer swore to let mankind know how God unfairly judged not only the woman he loved but countless other and to let the world know that not even Heaven was free from corruption.  
_

_Cast from heaven he would never be allowed to see the woman again but God was not satisfied with that and to make sure Lucifer would never be able to find her even after her soul was reborn and to keep him from revealing the corruption of Heaven_ _**God forbade him from ever walking the world of man again.** _ _”_

 

Now it made sense to Takeshi why she had recalled this specific story but she wasn't done yet.  
“Lucifer translates as _The shining one_ and _Light-bearer_ among other things and he supposedly fell from heaven, so _The Light who Fell_ could refer to that. Also the story tells he was cast into _Fire and Brimstone,_ this could be used to describe an active volcano, and once lava cools you get obsidian, the _Obsidian Halls._ And finally, if he was _Djinn_ he would according to the legends possess the power of a seer.”  
Takeshi silently nodded his agreement, the Mother had once told him that most legends held some piece of truth in them and Emelie's interpretation and deductions from the story made a bit to much sense to be just coincidental.

“I think you might be onto something there, it definitely needs to be looked into. Maybe we can find your father one day.”  
“There might actually be more, I think it was the same texts that mentioned Lilith, that she was to have been the first woman created for Adam, but she refused to be obedient, always walking her own way so she was cast aside and God made a new wife for Adam, created from his own rib so that she would always be obedient. In her anger over how she had been treated Lilith became the first demon.”  
“Do you recall what text it was? We should try to obtain a copy for further study.”  
“I'm sorry, I don't, but maybe I can get hold of my old professor and ask her.”  
He hummed his agreement before nipping at her neck trying to tease her into more entertaining pastimes and it did not take long before peppermint filled his senses.

 


	3. Winter Weekend

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

It was a strange feeling to have the house almost empty again, Kasumi and Matthews had taken most of the girls to Honolulu to do the Christmas shopping so Takeshi and Emelie had the estate mostly to themselves, out of the humans living there only the twins had remained.  
Takeshi found that he didn't mind the silence but not being able to feel the auras of the others was a bit unsettling, he could still feel Kasumi through their bond, but he was unable to feel the other girls.

“Take?”  
Emelie called quietly from behind him, not wanting to disturb him in case he was meditating.  
He responded with a slight flare of his aura, trying to encourage her to trust her ability to sense his aura more and a moment later she stepped into the small room that acted as a shrine of sorts.  
“I just got a reply on the mail I sent to my old professor, she can have a translated copy of the text sent here, but she offered to let us study the original text. And I think we should take her up on that offer. While I trust her translations to be excellent there are always interpretations, words that could have multiple meanings and what we seek might just be found in subtleties and dual meanings.”  
He nodded his agreement, it would be a great help to have access to the person who did the translations.  
“Did she mention when we can come?”  
“Yeah, she will be working until Lucia.”  
At his slightly confused look she released she had used the Swedish name.  
“Ah sorry, Saint Lucy's Day, the 13th that's on Tuesday.”  
She quickly explained.  
“She said we are welcome at her house in Gothenburg any time between the 14th and the 22nd when she will be heading to her family's cabin for Christmas.”  
She added with a somewhat expectant look at him.

“Sumi, Matthews and the girls will be back on Saturday, how about we fly over to Gothenburg on Sunday, take the twins shopping on Monday and Tuesday then head over to your professor on Wednesday? That would allow us a few days before we need to return for that so-called surprise party Matthews has conned Sumi into arranging for me.”  
She laughed at the obvious displeasure in his tone when speaking of his birthday party before agreeing to his suggested plan.  
“What will we do about somewhere to stay? The hotels will surely be booked full by now, especially with such a short notice. And I really don't want to stay at my old house.”  
They had decided not to sell the house that Emelie inherited from her grandparents, instead they hired a company to look after it.  
“Don't worry, most high end hotels keep a few rooms available for _important_ guests. We should be able to get the same suite we used last time we were there.”  
“Unless you want to stay somewhere else?”  
He added after a moment of silence as he realized the place might bring unpleasant memories for her.  
“Oh don't worry it's fine. But when you call them, make sure to get reservation for the _Julbord_. With your appetite I'm sure you will love it!”  
She teased with a grin which made him curious, he recognized the word but couldn't really place it, it must have been one of those things he had heard her mother speak about when he wasn't really listening.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Come on girls, you can sleep more in the Blackout.”  
It was already dark outside, and well past the twins bedtime when Takeshi ushered them into the Blackout as he was planning to land in Gothenburg sometime around 7 in the morning and even in the Blackout it was a 10 hour flight as he didn't want to go supersonic with the twins on board.

The twins were sleepy, but also overjoyed at the prospect of an extended trip even if it meant going to a rather frigid Gothenburg instead of the originally planned Honolulu and they ended up having a hard time sitting still during the flight, much less sleeping.  
Thankfully it was a much shorter flight in the Blackout than it would have been on a commercial flight, leaving Takeshi and Emelie with at least some sanity intact, though, Emelie pointed out that she doubted Takeshi ever had any to begin with, much to the twins amusement.  
It was still dark when they landed at the private section of the airport and Takeshi quickly ushered the twins into the rental car that was waiting next to the hangar.

The weather had been unusually cold for the area, resulting in a thick cover of snow on top of the usual layer of ice, this had made Takeshi opt for one of the heavier SUV models with all-wheel-drive rather than his usual choice of a high end sedan.  
Like all vehicles in Sweden during the winter it came with mandatory winter tires, in this case heavy duty studded ones adapted for the normally icy road conditions in the coastal area.  
Emelie had snickered at him and called him a worrywart and mother hen when he had asked the rental company for the 3rd time to make sure that the car had proper winter tires on.  
It was not until after he hung up that she bothered to explain that winter tires were mandatory by law and that most drivers in the coastal areas used studded tires to better handle the icy roads.  
He still couldn't help checking the tires to make sure which of course made her tease him again.

“This room is lot smaller than it looked...”  
When they arrived at the hotel to leave their luggage Emelie complained that their room was smaller than it had looked in the pictures.  
The suite they had used last time was occupied and the only room available was a _luxury single_ that they had decided to take for one night, a much larger double room would become available in the morning and they could easily do without sleep for one night while the twins slept on the king size bed.  
“Don't worry, like we said, we can go without sleep for one night.”  
With their meager luggage safely put away in their room they headed into the city to buy winter clothes for Takeshi and the twins, though Takeshi had a feeling Emelie would be buying herself a new set as well.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The drive however took much longer than anticipated due a large amount of vehicles getting turned away at the checkpoints.  
The city had implemented strict regulations for motor vehicle traffic in the inner city to battle pollution and traffic issues.  
There were several categories of permits including workers permits that allowed those who worked in the city to drive there during their workdays, special weekend permits that could be obtained one weekend at a time, along with those there were timed passes which were issued for a set number of days.  
The requirements for the passes as well as the cost varied, during high traffic periods, like right now when many shoppers wanted to get their cars into the city, it was harder to get a permit and it would also cost more.  
It was easier to get a permit for smaller cars, larger cars and cars still using combustion engines were hard to get permits for, and the permits would be very expensive, recreational permits were also harder to get than workers permits.  
While the SUV they were driving was a new model with a power-cell engine it was classified in the largest category of cars, along with smaller trucks, so it had cost Takeshi a lot of money to get the necessary permit to take it into the inner city.  
At the moment though a lot of drivers were trying their luck at the checkpoints despite not having the correct permits, and in combination with the road conditions it made things slow and it grated at Takeshi's nerves, the fact that the driver behind them had nearly rear ended them several times did not help.

However, when the car behind them finally bumped into them rather roughly, causing the twins to start crying, Emelie beat him to the snapping part and stormed out of their car to confront the driver behind them.  
As the passenger door closed Takeshi opened the window slightly to be able to better hear what was being said.

“ _Hur fan fick du körkort? Köpt det på postorder eller kanske Butterick's?”  
_She all but snarled at the young man driving the car.  
Takeshi smirked to himself when the Swedish lessons were proving to have been working and he actually understood what she was saying, she was questioning the driver on how in the world he had managed to obtain his license, suggesting he had either bought it by mail-order or at Butterick's, a store specializing in masquerade items and various practical joke items.  
He almost got out himself though when he saw the guy get out of his car and try assume an intimidating posture but Emelie quickly turned towards him.

“It's fine Take, I can handle this _yabo_ , you keep the girls company.”  
He almost laughed at her use of the Japanese insult, one of the many habits she had picked up from Kasumi.  
After all, it couldn't possibly be from his own impeccable manners.  
However, her comment caused the other driver to start yelling and cursing at her, once again almost making Takeshi get out to protect her but a slight whimper from the twins made him pause and realize they needed him more and that Emelie could take care of herself.  
As the shouting began the checkpoint guards became aware of the situation and two of them began moving toward their cars.  
One of them headed toward Takeshi while the other moved to make sure Emelie and the other driver wouldn't get into an actual fight.

Looking away from the situation and turning to the guard Takeshi's mind froze for a moment, the young man was absolutely gorgeous with the most brilliant blue eyes Takeshi had ever seen in a human.  
He sported a well groomed goatee and a rather wild shock of hair on his head, but the contrast suited him well.  
_“Vad har hänt här?”_  
“I'm sorry, could we take this in English? My Swedish isn't quite up task.”  
Takeshi had no doubt he would be able to handle the conversation in Swedish, but he was more comfortable in English, and to be honest, he had been a bit too preoccupied with the guard's looks to really listen to what he had said  
“Of course. What happened here?”  
The guard's English carried a heavy accent but like with most Swedes it was fully intelligible.

“The driver of the vehicle behind us has nearly hit us numerous times while we have been waiting to reach the checkpoint. When he finally did hit us Em lost her temper a bit, she is very protective of the girls.”  
He nodded toward the twins in the back who were still looking rather spooked by the whole thing and the guard gave them a smile and promised everything would be all right, a gesture that Takeshi appreciated.  
“When she questioned his worthiness to hold a driver's license he began to display aggressive tendencies which escalated when she asked me to stay in the car with the girls and told me she could handle it. The rest you have seen for yourself.”  
After writing down some notes on his tablet the guard asked for his driver's license and checkpoint pass which Takeshi gave him, along with the permit for the guns he was carrying as the sudden tenseness in the guard made it obvious that the weapons had been noticed when he reached for his wallet.  
“My license, checkpoint pass and the permit for the guns.”  
While he didn't really need the guns, it was sometimes useful to have them, if something did happen that required deadly force it was easier to explain pulling a gun than whipping out a sword out of nowhere.  
The guard's relief at being handed the permit for the guns was obvious but when he read the name on the license and permit he looked rather wide eyed.

“With this name I see why you need those cannons. A lot of pretty bad people got pretty pissed when the GCTI went belly up.”  
Takeshi had resumed using his real name now that the GCTI had been dismantled and it seemed the guard recognized the name from the reports, and then the guard went silent and really looked at him.  
“Damn, you're really him, aren't you?”  
Takeshi decided to humor him and nodded with a smirk.  
“I am.”  
“Shit, I thought you'd be lot older, not to mention dead!”  
“Actually, I look pretty damn good for my age. And as for being dead, well, I'm obviously not. I managed to survive and it was rather useful that the GCTI believed they had managed to kill me.”  
The guard took another look at his birth-date, before handing the papers back  
“No shit!”  
He muttered before heading over to his colleague and Takeshi couldn't help leaning slightly to get a better look at his backside as he walked away.  
“Are you checking out his ass?”  
The somewhat sudden question from the back seat almost made him jump and he turned toward the twins with a somewhat sheepish smile that quickly turned impish as he decided to not sugarcoat anything.  
“Indeed I am, and it is a mighty fine ass.”  
The comment quickly had them both giggling, which was a great relief as they forgot to be scared for a while.

The situation behind them had been escalating with the other driver claiming that it was not him that had caused the accident but rather that Takeshi had caused it by backing into his car.  
Takeshi barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the stupidity of the man, such a claim was easy to disprove since the SUV he was driving came with _black box_ technology that in the case of an incident registered several parameters, including gear, speed, brake and gas pressure and angle of the steering wheel, it also took a picture of the driver.

“ _Okej, nu räcker det! Emelie, eftersom att det inte var du som körde så kan du sätta dig i bilen igen och hålla barnen sällskap medan vi pratar med din man istället.”_  
The guard that had spoken to him seemed to have gotten tired of the situation and told Emelie to get back in the car while they spoke to him instead since he had been the one driving.  
He couldn't resist teasing her a bit when she returned to the car as the guard had assumed they were married.  
“Takeshi, could you come here please?”  
The guard called for him and he got out of the car and walked over to the group standing at the side of the road.  
When he got closer he noticed the other guard tense up and his hand shifted slightly toward his sidearm, obviously noticing that he was carrying but the guard he had been speaking to quickly calmed his colleague down.  
_“Lugn, det är okej, han har licens för dom.”_  
The reaction of the other driver however almost had Takeshi laughing, it was obvious he was used to being physically larger than most people he met, and was accustomed to taking full advantage of that to intimidate others into letting him get his way but compared to Takeshi he looked rather average.  
And when the guard's comment made him aware of the twin guns he looked like he was about to either wet his pants or run away screaming and Takeshi couldn't resist shifting the focus of his aura slightly to further intimidate him without the guards noticing.  
_“Take, that's not very nice, the guy is terrified enough of you without you intimidating him.”_  
Emelie had obviously been paying attention to his aura and scolded him lightly, but there was laughter in the tone relayed by her serpent that told him she was enjoying seeing the guy being knocked down a few pegs.

“Takeshi, the driver of the other car is claiming you backed into him.”  
The guard quickly explained the exchange that had taken place.  
Takeshi gave the other driver a glare for good measure before answering the guard.  
“I did not, and it can easily be proved. The car I'm driving is a rental and it comes with a black box, all we have to do is call the rental company and have them access the incident report. It should show I was stationary at the time of the incident, and that I had been for several seconds.”  
If possible the other driver looked even more nervous now that he was about to get caught with trying to lie his way out of the situation.  
A short phone call later the other driver was handed a rather substantial ticket along with an order to have his suitability as a driver examined and Takeshi was told they could continue, but as he was about to get back into the slow moving line the guard he had been speaking to came up and knocked on the window.

“Come on, follow me and I'll get you past the checkpoint right away, no point in you waiting forever just 'cause that idiot hit you.”  
Pulling a traffic control baton from his vest the guard began to move toward the checkpoint, using the baton to direct traffic toward the sides to make sure there was room for Takeshi to maneuver past the other vehicles.  
Once past the checkpoint Takeshi thanked the guard for the assistance and before they drove off, Dan as the guard introduced himself as, told him it was the least he could do for the guy that had been instrumental in taking down the GCTI and asked if he could buy him a drink some day.  
Takeshi agreed on the condition that they go somewhere where he could bring the twins.  
“Well, as long as you are fine with eating at a cramped joint that never heard of serving vegetables with their dishes, sure.”  
Handing Dan his number Takeshi asked him to set something up for the upcoming Friday.

“So that's the kind of guy who tickles your fancy?”  
Emelie had obviously picked up on the way he looked at Dan.  
“What can I say, he is good looking, obviously healthy and reasonably well trained, and he seems to have a caring nature.”  
“My my, Take....”  
She cooed teasingly at him.

“Take said he had a mighty fine ass!”  
Sarah's deadpan delivery had both of them breaking down in laughter before Emelie scolded her gently.  
“Sarah, it's not nice to tell on people like that. You should let him tell me himself.”  
“Sorry Emmy. Sorry Take.”  
She hung her head and apologized.  
“It's okay sweetie. He is right though, that guard had a really cute butt.”  
“I liked his eyes...”  
Maria's soft confession made Takeshi and Emelie smile at her.  
“Yeah, they were pretty, and looked nice.”  
Sarah quickly agreed with her sister.  
“Well that's good. If he turns out to be as nice as he seems he might become part of the family as smitten as Take here is.”  
“Em, I'm not really smitten as such. Physically attracted yes, but it remains to see if he is as good a person as he is good looking. But only if you approve.”  
“Take...”  
She sighed deeply before continuing.  
“I trust your taste, and I know you wouldn't rush into anything, so please, you don't have to ask my permission every time you want to have a closer look at someone to see if they might be of interest.”  
Takeshi was about to object when she shushed him.  
“Let me finish. I only ask that you don't bring anyone into out home, or around the girls and me, without giving me a chance to meet them on neutral ground first.”  
After a few moments of silence Takeshi nodded.  
“Okay. As you wish.”  
“That's a good boy.”  
She teased lightly while patting him on the head, breaking the slightly tense moment and making the emotionally tense girls break down in laughter.

After spending most of the day shopping for suitable winter clothing they retired to the hotel and after a bit of a struggle they managed to get the utterly exhausted girls to go to sleep.  
With the twins finally asleep they had curled up next to the fire pit that burned on the balcony.  
“You know, despite that idiot rear ending us I had a really good time today.”  
Takeshi just pulled her closer and hummed his agreement.  
“It was actually pretty fun watching that overgrown bully shaking from fear as well.”  
She added with a grin.  
“And you accuse **me** of being the mean one...”  
Takeshi complained with mock indignation.  
“Of course, **I** wasn't the one intentionally scaring him.”  
She quipped.  
Muttering something about _female logic_ he shifted her closer and told her to try to get some rest.

While it was a few degrees below freezing outside he barely noticed the chill, he actually found it to be rather comfortable, his altered physiology didn't seem to be bothered by cold unless it began to creep into -20°c or colder and Emelie had always preferred the cold, and she was taking full advantage of her body now able to withstand it without the risk of getting sick.  
“You know, we should do stuff like this more often, sneak away from everything and everyone.”  
He was almost sleeping when she spoke up again and he suppressed the urge to groan, the flight and the tension of the fender-bender had him wanting to get a bit of sleep but it seemed Emelie was in no mood to sleep.  
“Don't get me wrong, I love Hawaii and everyone there, but it's nice to get away and not have to worry about 13 other people all the time.”  
She did have a point, living with such a large household could get a bit tiresome at times and he decided that if she wanted a vacation he would give her one as soon as it was practical.  
“When Sumi and I are done dealing with the council and the Kiryu elders I promise I will take you and the twins on a nice long vacation, anywhere you want to go.”  
He could feel an almost giddy joy shift through her aura for a moment.  
“Oh, I know just the thing! You, me, the twins; one of those nice big camping buses and hit the roads through Europe, start up north, enjoy the midnight sun. Head down south for a Mediterranean winter, maybe some skiing in the Alps along the way.”  
Again he just hummed and told her to try to get some sleep.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“We really should buy some more clothes. The hotel laundry service is **very** expensive.”  
Emelie looked ta the list of services with a frown.  
“What have I told about price tags?”  
“Yeah, but this is overpriced, and has pretty bad reviews.”  
“Okay. If you prefer stocking up on a few extra sets we can do that.”  
Takeshi surrendered with a laugh, he was truly happy that she was asserting herself more.

“What's this?”  
“Looks pretty.”  
The twins drew Emelie's attention to a display showing a mannequin dressed up as the traditional Swedish version of Saint Lucy.  
“That's Saint Lucy. Tomorrow is Saint Lucy's Day.”  
Emelie began to explain to the girls about how the event was celebrated in Sweden, and told them that there would be several big progressions through the main shopping street in the central city the next day.  
“Can we go look?”  
“Of course. Which show would you like to go see?”  
“Are they different?”  
“Well the first show in the morning is prettier because it's dark outside and they turn of the streetlights so you can really see the candles and lanterns that they carry.”  
The twins immediately insisted to see the morning show, no matter how early and Emelie quickly agreed, it was her own favorite after all.  
“Can we have an outfit too?”  
“Of course girls. But we won't buy it here, they only have really cheap looking ones. I know a store that sells super nice ones.”  
“Okay!”  
Both of the chirped happily.

“Now, would you like to buy some pretty dresses for the Julbord? Or would you rather wear skirts, or maybe pants and a nice shirt?”  
As she suspected they would they instantly jumped at the opportunity to play dress up and opted to get dresses, something that made Takeshi groan.  
“Take, you don't have to stay here. You can take a walk, maybe visit the Casino for a drink and a snack if you want to.”  
As tempting as her suggestion was his instincts rebelled against leaving them alone.  
The season was plagued by pickpockets and outright muggings, even inside the stores, and women with children were popular targets as the women would usually obey without objections to protect the children.   
“Nah, it's fine.”  
The diplomatic response made her shake her with a sigh then tut at him.  
“Suit yourself.”

“Take... Can we go get takeout?”  
Emelie's question while they were loading all the clothes into the rental made Takeshi snicker at her.  
“Oh, want to show the girls your favorite Thai place?”  
“Mhm...”  
“Well, let's go then. But I think you better drive, the streets in that area were a bloody maze...”  
Now it was Emelie who was laughing, but he was right, there were enough one-way streets and dead ends to even confuse the locals at times, especially since there was almost always a few constructions or other detours at any given time.  
When they arrived Emelie was instantly recognized and they received a very energetic greeting from the owners who wanted to know where she had been so long, and after a quick explanation they teasingly accused Takeshi of stealing their best customer.  
When loading the food into the car it was quite obvious that they had made more food than had been ordered, and Takeshi sent the twins in with a substantial tip while he and Emelie unloaded the serving trolley into the car.

“This is good!”  
“Mhm!”  
Emelie was beaming with joy when the twins voiced their opinion of the various dishes and she offered them various treats, while mock fighting Takeshi for the favorites.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Emmy, can we take a nap?”  
After the meal and a bit of studying both the girls were quite obviously rather tired.  
“Well, you need to go to bed early to night so you can wake up on time tomorrow, so if you nap now you won't be able to sleep later.”  
“Okay...”  
“But we can be lazy and watch some movies if you want to.”  
“Okay!”  
The tone instantly changed into something happier, but they still complained when they were told it was time to go to bed.

Once again Takeshi found himself in front of a fire pit with Emelie curled up in his lap, though larger than the previous room it still would not offer any privacy and Emelie needed to keep her energies topped off, and her feeding was not something the twins should witness.  
They didn't hide the fact that they had sex, and they had been walked in on by the girls more than once, but that was just regular sex, the feeding session were a lot more intense.  
While she would be fine for a week or two it was easier for her to remain in control of her succubus nature with daily feedings, the first thing that would happen if she did not feed daily was an increase in the intensity of her _seduction,_ and having hordes of men vying for her attention would be rather bothersome.  
Luckily she was well fed so it didn't take much to soothe her instincts and keep them from acting up, especially since he coaxed the instinctive part of her into feeding of his life-force.  
Had she been aware of it she would have refused, too worried about hurting him, but he had found that he had no problems sustaining them both, the energy she took would normally be fully replenished in the morning.

The slight electric tingle from his watch woke him up long before sunrise and he realized they had fallen asleep on the balcony rather than go inside as they had planned.  
A few nibbling kisses rewarded him with peppermint and spicy annoyance as Emelie groaned.  
“Take, it's still dark outside, go back to sleep...”  
She mumbled.  
“You are the one who promised to take the girls to that event, we need to get up now if we are going to make it on time.”  
“Why did I promise them the morning show?”  
She groaned as she got up and slowly made her way to the bathroom for a shower while Takeshi got the honor of waking the girls.  
He was met with various complaints until he reminded them about the promised events, a reminder that had them scampering out of bed and rushing to the bathroom to join Emelie in the shower.

While they took their shower he called down for some breakfast to be sent to their room and once they were out of the shower he took a quick shower himself and much to his surprise they were actually ready to go nearly half an hour early.  
The girls and Emelie were all dressed up in white gowns with a crown of lights on their heads, with the twins wearing a thick strand of silver tinsel around their waist while Emelie wore the more traditional wide red ribbon.  
She also wore a more elaborate crown than the girls, though she had forgone the live candles and instead made candles from Sanctuary crystal, she had replaced the simple battery lights in the twins crowns as well.  
The crystals were safe, and mimicked a live flame pretty well.

Despite being early they still found the streets to be crowded, something that was making Emelie uneasy as she didn't like having people moving so close to her back and the more sensitive parts of her wings and the tension in her aura was setting Takeshi on edge, and their combined tension was being picked up on by the twins.  
“Em, _sweetie_ , come here.”  
He carefully moved her to stand in front of him, resting her back against his chest before putting a slight edge into his aura that made others nearby instinctively try to keep their distance.  
“Thanks...”  
But even that didn't keep some of the spectators from pushing their way in front of them, blocking the twins view and when they were about to start crying he simply picked them up, placing one on each arm and bringing them up high enough to be able to enjoy the show.  
His actions caused a few snickers and whispered comments about how it was still 15 minutes before the show started and that it was a 2 hours show, hinting that there was no way he would be able to hold them like that the entire show.

When the crowd began to clear after the show he couldn't help snickering a bit at the now rather awed whispers about how he had managed to hold the girls like that for such a long time, one guy going as far as asking him where he trained which he pretended not to understand while Emelie told the guy he were not from around there.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

With a few more hours before it was time to return to the hotel to eat they returned to the shopping district, the goal this time was to obtain some games for the girls to entertain themselves with while Takeshi and Emelie studied the texts they had traveled here for.

“Excuse me, do you have any more tabletop games?”  
Takeshi turned away from the small section of shelves that displayed a meager selection of games and waved down one of the toy-store employees.  
“We don't have any more of those really old games. But we have plenty of modern games over here.”  
She pointed toward a large section with various electronic version with flashing lights and lots of beeps and other sounds and when he looked hesitant she started to rave on about how much more fun these new games were compared the old boring ones which quickly put Takeshi off a bit.

“Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing. Have you checked _Spelgrottan_? They specialize in classic games and have a lot of different styles of games.”  
Takeshi was relieved when a pair of teenage boys interrupted the store clerk.  
“No I haven't. I'm not from around here so I'm afraid I have no idea where it is.”  
“Well, if you can wait like 10 minutes and don't mind a bit of a walk we can show you, we're going there next.”  
“I don't mind waiting, but the walk might be a problem as I'm not alone.”  
Takeshi quickly called the girls over.  
“Oh. Do you have a good GPS?”  
“We do.”  
A few minutes later Takeshi thanked the boys for their help and rounded up Emelie and the twins so they could go have a look at the suggested store.

About 15 minutes later they found themselves at a small parking lot with a simple sign pointing toward an unassuming staircase leading to a basement door.  
Opening the door Takeshi found himself standing in a burst of warm air that carried a multitude of scents, the scent of wood, glue, paint, casting resin and hot Styrofoam told him that the store must have a workshop for making figurines and scenery for the still popular figurine games.  
He also picked up the telltale scent of paper and ink telling him they must have a fairly large selection of books as well.  
Following a small corridor they soon found themselves looking into a large basement area that was filled with mismatched bookcases and tables filled with games, books, figurines and scenery boards, there were even boards and miniatures hanging from the ceiling.  
“Ah, this place seems promising.”  
“My my Take, are you a game nerd?”  
“Guilty as charged.”  
He smiled at her and stepped over the kneeknocker style threshold into what must at some point have been built as a bomb-shelter.  
_“Kommer strax!”_  
The immediate call of a voice from deep within told Takeshi that he had tripped a sensor in the doorway to alert the man working there that there were customers in the store.  
They were in no hurry though so Takeshi simply started looking at the used books stacked in a rather rickety looking bookshelf by the doorway.

A few minutes later a rather portly man appeared from behind a curtain between a pair of bookcases and quickly folded up the well soiled apron and tossed it behind the small desk that served as a register.  
_“Välkommen Välkommen. Och Glad Lucia!”_  
The boisterous greeting had the the twins scampering up behind Takeshi as Emelie greeted the storekeeper and asked if he was okay with speaking English.  
“Oh of course! Sorry girls, didn't mean to scare you. So, what can I do you for?”  
“We need a nice collection to keep these little hellions entertained for a few days. Ideally something that can be played quietly and is easy to figure out without too much instruction. And not too large. It would be nice if we could fit a reasonable collection in a pair of backpacks.”  
“Ah! Challenge accepted!”  
The way the man acted had Emelie snickering a bit and Takeshi found himself smiling as well, the enthusiasm was contagious.

“How about we start with this little package?”  
He held out a pretty small box with _101 Games for Dice and Card_ printed in bold letters across the top.  
Opening the box revealed a thick book with instructions, a card tray with 8 decks of cards as well as a separate deck with custom cards for specific games, a pair of dice-cups, dice holders and a large bag of various dice.  
In the bottom of the box was a dice tray with a soft lining to help keep the play contained.  
There was also a small tray of markers and a bag of small game pieces.  
“What do you say girls? Look interesting?”  
Takeshi gave them a slight nudge.  
“Mhm...”  
“We will take one of those then.”  
“Would you like the expansion book as well?”  
The storekeeper picked a book from the shelf and the title promised another 501 games and variations.  
“Why not.”  
Takeshi just nodded and the book was added to the small basket trolley that the man had brought out from behind his makeshift register.  
A few more items were added before a call from the entrance announced the arrival of the boys that had tipped them about the place.  
“Go on, see to them, we can browse on our own for a while.”

Takeshi however kept an eye on the pair as they gathered a variety of items for creating miniature landscapes, and once they were done and were at the register to pay he approached.  
“I will pay for those. After all, I wouldn't know about this place if it wasn't for these boys.”  
“Really? Thanks!”  
With a quick glance on the readout on the register he turned to the boys.  
“And go ahead and add a bit more, about triple what you got there.”  
That would put the sum around 1000 kronor, or just over $100.  
“Seriously?!”  
“Mhm.”  
“Wow, thanks dude! You're the best!”  
“If you guys hadn't come along I would probably be sitting in the guard room by now for having fed that clerk one of those gaudy electronic monstrosities.”  
The quip had them laughing before hurrying back to the area that held the miniature landscaping supplies.

As the boys hurried away Takeshi noticed that a few of the boxes behind the register had Japanese writing on it, claiming the contents to be Go-boards made from _Kaya_ wood.  
“Excuse me, could I have a closer look at those Go-boards.”  
“Of course. Which one?”  
“The 0,5 _shaku_ one.”  
The shopkeeper quickly picked up the box with the thickest board and gently unpacked it.  
“These are a real treat. I'm not 100% sure if they are genuine Kaya though, there are so many fakes out there. Even big companies have been caught labeling white spruce as Kaya.”  
“Mhm, they often get away with it due to white spruce being referred to as _Shin-kaya_ , or _New Kaya_ in English.”  
“I have no idea about the origins of these though, they were part of a lot I purchased in an estate auction in Honolulu a few years ago. I just had the lot shipped here.”  
Takeshi carefully inspected the box, the design was clearly dated, by his guess from the mid or late 70's.  
“It's a pretty old board so chances are it might be genuine Kaya.”  
Takeshi gently tapped his nail against the underside of the board and listened to the sound.  
“With you permission, may I place a stone?”  
“Sure...”

The obvious confusion prompted Takeshi to explain.  
“Real Kaya has a different sound when played compared to spruce.”  
After a bit of bustling with the various boxes Takeshi was handed a pair of beautiful black persimmon bowls.  
“Black persimmon, it makes the most stunning bowls.”  
Picking up one each of the black and a white stones he inspected them closely, but he was pretty sure what he would find already.  
“Another good sign, these are real clam shell and slate stones. These stones alone are probably worth over 2 million yen. A lot more if it's _Hyuga_ clam shell.”  
“What?!”  
The owner looked rather stunned as Takeshi gently placed the stones, carefully listening to the sound they made and he was pleased to hear it make the characteristic sound of a real Kaya board.  
“You are in luck, this is Kaya. And I'm buying it. But I refuse to dishonor the quality of these items by allowing you to sell them this cheap. I insist you allow me to pay their true value.”

There was a moment of silence before the owner started looking around the store.  
“Okay, where's the camera?”  
“Huh?”  
Now it was Takeshi's turn to be confused.  
“This has to be candid camera!”  
He realized the man thought he was lying, trying to trick him.  
“I assure you. I'm serious. With your permission I would like to hire an appraiser that is well versed with Go boards and the materials involved to do a proper appraisal of these sets, and the other ones you have back there.”  
While they spoke Emelie and the twins had returned to see what was holding him up.  
“He is serious. He grew up in Japan, and if he says they are worth a lot more than you are asking, they are.”  
“But why would he tell me that?”  
“Because he is honest. And accepting to pay such a low price would mean dishonoring the work of the masters who made these.”

The conversation was interrupted by the two boys returning with their selection and Takeshi quickly paid for the items and thanking them for telling him about the store.  
Turning his attention back to the owner Takeshi started working on an agreement to buy the Go sets, making use of suggestion to make the man trust him.  
“Alright. I guess we have a deal.”  
“Excellent. Now, I noticed you have a some regular spruce boards with glass and resin stones as well, could you add a few of those to the list please? They are better suited for teaching beginners.”  
He had his own _Go_ and _Shōgi_ sets back home, but the dark, hard, wood he had used for the boards in combination with the brittle stones and pieces made them unsuitable for an inexperienced player, especially the fumbling hands of children.  
“Of course.”  
They did a quick check to see which sets Takeshi wanted and then added them to the growing list of items that Takeshi wanted to have shipped to Hawaii.

“Girls, if you are really quiet maybe he will let you watch him work on those miniatures.”  
The twins were getting somewhat bored as Takeshi and Emelie added pile after pile of games to the list of items to be shipped.  
They had quickly come to an agreement that while the girls all had their computers with games, and the various entertainments systems, it would do them good to play some traditional games as well.  
“It's okay as long as the don't touch anything or stand in my light.”  
The owner invited them to enter the workshop area and watch him work.  
“You heard him girls.”  
“Okay! We promise we won't disturb.”  
With them distracted Takeshi and Emelie took the opportunity to add a few surprise items as well.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

After bringing the selection of games they picked for the twins up to their room and getting a change of clothes they headed down to the restaurant and their reservations for the _Julbord_ , the traditional Swedish Christmas _smörgåbord_ loaded with an all-you-can-eat buffet of typical Christmas dishes, long tables covered in hot and cold foods as well as a huge section for various desserts and sweets.

“Now girls, there are rules for how you eat a Christmas table.”  
Emelie cautioned them with a serious tone that almost had Takeshi laughing as he could clearly sense the humor behind it.  
“Okay!”  
Both of them were hanging on her every word as she started to explain the rules, or rather, the traditional order for eating the various dishes.  
“Now, you always start with the _Sill._ That's the various kinds of pickled herring. Next up are the other cold seafood like the salmon and shellfish and also the deviled eggs.”  
The twin nodded with an equally serious look on their faces.  
“After that comes the cold cut meats, the ham of course is a classic, but there's also _Sylta_ , Brawn which goes well with the beetroot salad. And there's also a few smoked meats like lamb and turkey.”  
Takeshi found himself curious about the smoked meats, he had learned to enjoy the subtle flavors.  
“Next up are the small hot dishes, like meatballs, ribs and the tiny sausages that we call _Prinskorv_ , or prince sausage. There's also lye fish, Jansson and sop, but you might not like those.”  
“Were gonna try!”  
“That's a good attitude girls.”  
“What's after those?”  
“Well we have the cheese table, then comes what no doubt will be your highlight, the desserts, you really need to try the ris ala malta. And finally, the candy.”  
“Yay!”  
“Girls, remember to keep your voices down, also, no running or fidgeting. You don't want to bother the other guests.”  
Emelie scolded them gently and they instantly settled down which made the server that was leading them to their reserved table give them an approving nod and a smile.

Takeshi had just filled up his second plate, digging in on the cold seafoods when he felt a shiver along his spine and with a quick glance he spotted a table with a rather large party of people who appeared to be slightly older than Emelie giving him a very disapproving look.  
_“Em, do you have any idea why that table just gave us the stink-eye?”_  
He reached out silently, both so that the twins wouldn't get concerned, but also to make sure no one overheard.  
_“It's the smoked eel. The eel population is considered vulnerable and there are some rather extreme faction wanting to completely ban not just the fishing, but the consumption of eel. But a limited catch remains permitted and the population has recovered significantly in the past 20 years.”  
“I see, so the restricted fishing has helped then?”_  
_“Not really, what has had the most impact are the new regulations for the hydroelectric plants, forcing them to construct passageways for migratory aquatic life. There are also much stricter regulation for the reservoirs, limiting how much they are allowed to interfere with the normal water-levels.”_  
He considered what she had told him and decided not to worry about it, he did keep an eye to make sure the twins didn't notice, if they did he would confront the table.  
Fortunately the twins were entirely focused on sampling all the food, and before long Emelie led them away toward the desserts and candy table, while Takeshi headed back toward the cold cuts and piled his plate high with salmon and smoked meats along with a bunch of the small, steamed, brussels sprouts.  
Emelie had been right when she promised him he would enjoy it.

Once back at the room they settled down to rest a bit to overcome their food coma, or as Emelie called it, _paltkoma,_ after the hearty potato dumplings that were popular in the northern regions.  
“You were right, I enjoyed that quite a lot.”  
He pulled her closer and burrowed his face in her hair, too lazy to do anything more.  
“Mhm, told ya.”  
She teased gently.  
“But honestly, I miss the stuff we made at the den. The quality of the ingredients was far better.”  
She added softly after a moment, something the twins instantly objected to.  
“But there's no sweets there!”  
The outburst caused a bit of snickering before Emelie gently scolded them that they were supposed to be napping, not listening in on her and Takeshi which caused some complaints that they weren't tired.  
They did give in though, but only slept for about an hour, then the rest of the afternoon was spent playing various games, teaching the twins a wide selection of the card and dice games suggested in the box they had bought.

As the sun began to set Emelie snuck out and after a few minutes one of the hotel staff came up with a cart loaded with firewood and an additional fire pit and began to load it with tinder and kindling and lightning it before finally topping it off with larger pieces of wood.  
The reason was revealed when Emelie came back along with one of the hotel porters pushing a room service cart filled with grocery bags.  
The bags contained hot dogs and other foods suitable for campfire cooking along with condiments and ingredients to make _pinnbröd_ , simple bread made by twisting a dough of flour, water, salt and baking soda around skewers and cooking it over embers.  
There was also various hot drinks, ingredients for Swedish style hot cocoa as well as several kinds of _Glögg._ mulled wine in both alcoholic version for her and Takeshi as well as non-alcoholic ones for the girls.  
Takeshi found it oddly relaxing to watch Emelie and the twins laugh and play as they prepared simple snacks over the glowing embers and the Beast within radiated a strong contentment, somehow it gave him another piece to the puzzle that was _Pack_.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Winter Weekend_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

It was early afternoon when they pulled up to a rather large house outside the city, it was the home of Erika Lund, Emelie's mythology professor.  
“Emelie! Välkommen!”  
The greeting was as enthusiastic as Emelie remembered it but the moment Erika stepped outside the door everything took a turn toward strange as she felt a sudden shift in Takeshi's aura behind her and Erika went completely still.  
In the sudden silence she could hear Takeshi's growl and it was not the usual low growl that showed displeasure, this was an all out threat, meant to intimidate an opponent into backing away and when she looked over her shoulders she was met with his fangs on full display.  
“Take! Why are you trying to intimidate Erika?”  
She hissed at him.  
“Hmpf, a _Ky_ _ūbi_ does not intimidate easily.”  
He bit out.  
“A what?”  
She was confused as she had no idea what he was talking about.  
“Can't you feel it? The moment she stepped outside the house, it must be warded.”  
“Feel what? You're not making any sense.”  
His behavior was starting to scare her and the twins were cowering behind him.  
“She is _Ky_ _ūbi no Kitsune_ , a nine-tailed fox.”  
He explained in clipped tones, his attention focused on the smiling woman in front of him.  
“Ah, you have good senses boy.”  
Erika took a single step towards them and instantly froze as his aura flared along with the youki of the dragon as the Ryuken manifested at his side.  
“Hold! A single flicker of your fire and I will not hesitate to act!”  
His hand on the hilt of his blade made it clear he was prepared to act with lethal force if she did not comply.  
“Oh my, not just any boy are we? It would seem the Kage of the Kiryu is not as dead as they believe. Do not worry Kage, I intend no harm.”  
She slowly moved back a step but Takeshi did not relax.  
“You will have to forgive me for not trusting a _Kitsune_. You will swear the oath of hospitality, guaranteeing the safety of Emelie, the twins, the three familiars they carry as well as myself. You will swear it on your tails!”  
His hand still on the hilt made it clear he would not take no for an answer.

“I will do you one better, Kage.”  
Erika moved slowly as she pulled out a simple pendant from inside her clothes, a large marble attached to a braided silver chain.  
_“With this I guarantee you and your leash hospitality and safe harbor within the house and holdings of Eriko the Silver fox.”_  
She spoke the oath in Japanese while holding out her hand to offer him the pendant and he allowed her to drop it into his left hand, ready to draw if he detected the slightest hint of a trick.  
With the pendant in his hand he allowed his aura to flare causing a green flame to flicker in the marble, the presence of Kitsune-bi, foxfire confirmed it to be a Qi pearl and a very careful scratch of a claw against the surface caused an intense shudder in Eriko's aura telling him it was indeed a true Qi pearl holding a piece of her soul.  
This Qi pearl was the most prized possession of any kitsune, if lost they would soon lose their magic and begin to age and die like a normal fox, if it was destroyed they would instantly die.  
With a nod that he accepted her oath he closed his hand around the pendant and with a slight shift hid it away in his soul, accepting her oath did not mean he trusted her and kitsune were notorious for being skilled thieves, the protection was only good as long as he actually held the pearl.  
Another twist of his aura and the Ryuken was back within in soul and his posture returned to its seemingly relaxed state which made Erika, or Eriko as she had turned out to be, relax a bit as well.

“Well, how about we go inside? Emelie you simply **must** tell me how you came to be in the company of the notorious, and supposedly dead, Kage and Ryuken wielder of the Kiryu family.”  
Eriko chatted away as if nothing had happened while opening the door wide, inviting them into her house and after a slight nod from Takeshi Emelie ushered the twins inside while Takeshi followed a few steps behind.

 


	4. Story Time

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Showing them into a small but comfortable, and rather messy, library Eriko motioned toward the couch and chairs.  
“Please, have a seat while I fetch us something to drink.”  
The moment she left Emelie turned to Takeshi .  
“Explain!”  
She demanded with a sharp hiss.  
“Our host is a _kitsune_ , a Japanese fox spirit. The oldest and strongest are the _Ky_ _ūbi_ , the nine tailed foxes. While normally not considered dangerous or malicious they love pranks and tricks and can unintentionally hurt humans playing these tricks.”  
“But if they're not dangerous, why such a reaction?”  
"A kitsune no, but there is no way to tell if you are faced with a _Zenko_ , a benevolent kitsune, or a _Yako_ , the malevolent _Nogitsune_ until it's too late, so it's better to be safe when dealing with them."  
Hearing their host return Emelie nodded.  
"You will explain this properly later."  
"I will."  
He agreed.

When Eriko returned she had shed the illusion of the rather average looking brunette that Emelie remembered and the woman, or rather the _Youkai,_ who walked in looked very different.  
She was noticeably taller and silver hair fell all the way to the floor and a pair of large fox ears made her seem even taller than she was.  
She was wearing a flowing pearl-white kimono over a red kosode, the entire kimono was covered with an elaborate pattern in silvery white that shifted and changed under the influence of her youki, the red obi was tied in a deceptively simple looking knot and its color kept shifting through various red hues as she moved.  
All of her nine tails swished around in lazy patterns behind her as she used the blue-green flames of her foxfire to balance the large tray.

“Fox-Lady is pretty!”  
Both of the twins blurted out when she entered which called forth a bell like laugh.  
“Well aren't you the cutest little kits? But my name is Eriko, not Fox-Lady”  
She smiled at them while guiding the items she was carrying toward the table.  
“Were cubs, not kits!”  
Both of them objected which made Takeshi and Emelie join in the laughter.  
“They mean no offense, it took weeks before they stopped calling us Wing-Lady and Doggy.”  
Emelie piped in between the laughs.  
“Doggy?”  
Eriko questioned with a hint of worry in her voice and her tails visibly bristled behind her, it seemed the kitsune's legendary fear of dogs was yet another thing that had a root in reality.  
“Wolf actually.”  
Emelie explained as Takeshi simply shed his human form for his wolf form.

“Now this is interesting, just what have you been up to Kage?”  
Stepping up close she wrapped her tails around them.  
“So well hidden, let me feel that aura of yours.”  
She practically cooed at him which caused both Emelie and the twins to react, though in very different ways.  
“I wouldn't recommend that, he keeps it under wraps for good reason.”  
Emelie cautioned her while the twins scolded her, telling her to back of and that _Take_ was theirs and Emelie's.  
“My my, so protective, such loyalty. Your kits do you honor.”  
She snickered while the twins once again objected against being referred to as kits.  
Pressing in closer she whispered in Japanese and he could feel a slight raise in her youki as she began to weave fox-magic into her words and touch.  
_“We should make some kits of our own, we could make rather amazing kits, don't you think?”_  
_“Mind you power, Kitsune!”_  
Takeshi bit out with a slight flare of his aura that had Eriko backing away as if she had been burned, even checking to make sure her tails were not singed.  
“Told you so...”  
Emelie retorted in a slightly smug tone before ducking her head at Takeshi's glare.  
“Enough you two, even the twins are behaving more maturely! We didn't come here to play games or bicker.”  
He groaned when the twins piped up that they **had** come to play games, showing their backpacks with the various games meant to keep them occupied, and quiet, while the adults studied the texts.  
“Protective, loyal, clever and cheeky, I like these kits of yours more and more.”  
Eriko beamed before sitting down and turning serious.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“I am guessing your interest in the texts is related to Emelie's rather unexpected change from a human girl into a demon.”  
A simple nod was her only answer.  
“While you have my word I will assist you a fox does not help for free. My fee for helping you will be your stories.”  
She looked at Takeshi with an expectant look and smiled when he gave a short nod for her to specify her demands.  
“Kage, I will hear the story of how you came to be whatever it is you are.”  
Takeshi nodded his consent to the price she requested from him.  
“Emelie, you will tell me the story of how you came to be a demon.”  
Emelie gave a quick nod of agreement, after all, it wasn't much of a story to tell.  
“Together you will tell me how a demon and a Kage came to be _companions_.”  
The emphasis she placed on the word companion made it clear she was well aware of the intimacy of their relationship.  
Emelie gave Takeshi a quick look for guidance and when he gave a nod she also nodded her consent.  
“I would also like to know how these lovely little kits came to become yours as they are obviously not blood relations.”  
She looked in turn at Takeshi and Emelie waiting for both their consent before moving on.

“Well, let the stories begin.”  
She chirped as she used her foxfire to place a few ceramic jugs with hot drinks on the table, cautioning the twins to stick to the white bottles before setting out a tray holding a bamboo steam basket and a ceramic cup for each of them.  
The steam baskets were revealed to contain a selection of small steamed buns with various savory fillings that to the twins immense joy refilled themselves in a swirl of foxfire when a piece was eaten and the jugs containing the drinks never ran dry or chilled.  
Eriko visibly preened when the twins praised her simple tricks as the greatest of magics.  
As they ate Takeshi began to tell his story, how he had been forced to join the GCTI to protect Kasumi and the Kiryu family, how he had met the others of his unit, how they had grown to become friends, dantai, even lovers and he spoke of _Fukushuu,_ the oath of vengeance.  
When he spoke of how he had lost them he could feel Emelie's tail curl tightly around his arm and she extended one wing around him, as if trying to shield him from the pain of those memories and the twins snuggled up closer to him.  
He spoke of his recovery, learning of the Mother and the Blessing, about how he had changed in order to fulfill his oath, how he had learned to borrow the forms of various animals and how he had acted against the GCTI, as he did he showed her the Sayuri, the proof of his oath and its fulfillment.  
He ended his story with the trip to Sweden to bring the truth to Emelie.

When he spoke about selling Kasumi's Miami estate and how the elders had tried to prevent it, even had Emelie followed, Eriko spoke up for the first time.  
“You know, the decision of the Council and the elders to make you Kage caused most of the Kitsune-houses to turn their back on them, out of the thirteen only two still stand with them.”  
“Hmph, such a strong response for allowing a _gaijin_ to become Kage, huh?”  
Takeshi sneered, even after such a long time it was still a raw nerve.  
“Quite the contrary actually.”  
She countered and Takeshi looked rather surprised.  
“We didn't turn our backs on them for _allowing_ you to become Kage. We turned our backs on them for _forcing_ you to become Kage, for refusing to name you heir.”  
There was fire in her voice as she spoke, but it also held a soothing note, as if trying to heal the pain of being seen as an outsider.  
“You, a true wielder of their Ryuken, bonded in soul and blood with the Ryujin, the strongest reiki wielder seen since the days when youkai roamed the lands freely and openly. Your strength, skill, sharp mind and caring heart would make you the perfect head, you were born to be a leader.”  
Shaking her head her voice turned sad with a tinge of anger.  
“But out of fear they forced you into the shadows, trying to take away your freedom and future, for **that** they lost our support and trust.”  
“I'm sorry, I judged you unfairly.”  
Takeshi apologized for his words after hearing the true reason.  
“Pay it no mind, I understand, as does the others. Know that the Kitsune will stand by your side, even the two houses that still remain at the side of the Council will join you if you but ask.”  
Eriko refused his apology, telling him none was needed.

Her words left him wondering though, she had introduced herself as, _Ginbuzoku no Eriko_ , which loosely translated as Eriko of the Silver House, or Silver Tribe, but there was no way that a member of a lesser house, even if she was a Kyūbi, would be privilege to such information.  
And she had said _We_ , _Our_ not _They_ and _Their,_ indicating that she was one of those who had objected, who had turned away from the council, and he believed those words.  
That led Takeshi to believe that the Silver House she spoke of was her personal house, used to separate her from the official status of her true house, which had to be one of the 13 sacred houses.  
There were 13 houses of kitsune who held more power than the others, representing the various elements and aspects of the Kitsune and their power, at the top was the Celestial house and the Dark house, the latter was where Nogitsune found a home, but it was nevertheless an important house for the foxes as together those two houses formed a balance.

 

“So, Em, how did you end up a demon?”  
“Well, Mom screwed some powerful demon and as a result I got totally screwed, sort of.”  
The short and utterly to the point explanation had Eriko laughing again, but she did indicate she wanted a little more than that.  
“Don't worry, it will come.”  
Together Takeshi and Emelie told the story of how they had met, how they had found out about Emelie's demon nature, the final attack against the GCTI, the part about the girls Takeshi told in Japanese as he didn't want to upset the twins by reminding them about their past.  
“Emmy, why is Take speaking Japanese?”  
“Because he is telling Eriko things that are not suited for young ears.”  
“Okay...”  
The complained slightly, but as usual they quickly accepted what they were told.  
“How about I join you for a few games while they talk?”  
“Okay!”  
Their mood instantly changed as they chirped happily.

Hearing the story of the twins brought a snarl to Eriko's face and her tails bristled with fury.  
Reaching behind her she plucked several strands of hair from each of her tails and quickly began braiding them into a flat band.  
Once she was done braiding she reached into her mouth and pulled out both of her upper canines and with a flare of foxfire they formed into a flat charm in the shape of a silver fox head crowned by nine tails, within the green eyes foxfire flickered.  
As she touched the charm to the cords they attached on their own to form a bracelet.  
“In the name of _Inari_ I, Eriko of the Silver house offer the protection of the Kitsune to those most deserving.”  
She held out the bracelets toward the twins but before they could take them Takeshi halted them.  
“And your price for this aid?”  
He questioned, even if it was offered in the name of _Inari_ , the Kami of foxes there could still be a steep price to be paid for such powerful aid, but he had a feeling it would be fair.

Kitsune were known for their fierce protectiveness toward children, not just their own kits, but any child, there were countless of legends of kitsune taking in abandoned children and raising them as their own.  
Even the Yako, who normally detested humans beyond using them for entertainment would protect children, though they tended to use darker, more extreme methods, outright stealing abused children, tormenting or killing their abusers while raising them as their own.  
The protection of children was also one of the few areas where the Zenko and the Yako were in agreement and would willingly and openly cooperate without extensive bargaining and elaborate treaties and oaths.

“That price was paid when you saved them and gave them a true family!”  
“And if a price is asked by one who answers the call to aid them?”  
He made sure to cover all angles, making sure there were no cracks or loopholes.  
“Any price asked will be paid in full by the Silver house, this aid will bring no cost upon you, your kits or anyone in your leash, you have my word!”  
As she spoke the geas of a fox oath shimmered around her tails, if she broke that oath she would lose her tails, becoming a regular fox again.  
Her oath further cemented his belief that she was a member of one of the 13 houses, as only one of the sacred houses would have the power and position to enforce such an oath, and kitsune did not make oaths unless they knew they could uphold them.  
With Eriko's word that there would be no price to pay Takeshi allowed her to place the bracelets around the twins wrists where it shimmered with foxfire before fading away.

Calling a small flicker of foxfire to the tip of her claw she touched each of their foreheads.  
“With foxfire in your soul you will be able to call the charms, or hide them, as you please.”  
She looked a bit surprised when they instantly did so, without her explaining how.  
“The familiars work much in the same way.”  
Takeshi explained.  
With a nod Eriko reached behind her again and plucked another set of hair from her tails and braiding it into a long slightly flat strand and with a flare of foxfire it cut into eight pieces that looped into simple silver rings.  
“For the other girls, a charm of foxfire to grant awareness of, and guard against, deception and illusion.”  
Holding out her hand with the pile of rings she added.  
“My price for these is that you teach them true, to live with, and honor, the land and its children.”  
With a nod Takeshi took the rings she offered and hid them away the same way he had done with her Qi pearl.  
To have a kitsune's protection against falsehood and illusions was a very useful thing, as masters of illusion and trickery they were also masters at detecting deception and lies, and none were more skilled at seeing through illusions to the truth hidden beneath.  
With the distractions finally done Takeshi told Eriko of Stormborn and what the ancient creature had told him about Emelie's father, and how those words had reminded Emelie of the stories written down in the texts they were now here to study.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

With their stories done Eriko hummed while tapping her chin with a slender claw.  
“I see. Unless you object I would like to call a gathering of the Kitsune-houses, some of these things needs to be brought to their knowledge.”  
“I have no objections, but I ask that you wait until fall to allow me the time I need to reveal to the Council that I am in fact not dead.”  
“Of course Kage. Might I ask to have the honor of being present for this? It would give me great pleasure to witness such a thing first hand!”  
Her face lit up in glee at the thought of seeing the faces of the Council when they found out that Takeshi was still alive, no doubt it would ruin many of their plans.  
“I will allow it, but only under certain conditions.”  
“Name your terms Kage.”  
“First, the oath of hospitality will be extended into an oath of protection, as long as I or my leash does not directly betray you, your oath will stand, no matter where they are.”  
“Accepted.”  
Eriko replied after a few moments consideration.  
“Second, your presence will be hidden, acting as a pet to Emelie, you may choose the form yourself as long as it is suitable for being a pet.”  
“Accepted.”  
The answer this time was instant.  
“Third and final, as payment for this you will waiver the price for one favor of my choosing.”  
Takeshi's third demand was met with a slightly disapproving look and Eriko remained silent for a long time as she considered it.  
“Fine, I will trust your honor that you will not ask me to waiver a disproportional fee. I accept your terms.”

“You should ask her to stop calling you Kage...”  
Sarah's uncharacteristic interruption made Eriko study both her and Takeshi closely.  
“Oh?”  
“He doesn't like when people call him Kage!”  
Maria came to her sister's aid without hesitation.  
“Is that true?”  
Eriko turned to Takeshi who nodded softly.  
“It's true, but I know it would be too much for me to ask.”  
At this the twins looked rather puzzled.  
“But you asked Faran and he agreed...”  
“Yes, but Faran isn't Japanese, he is not a part of the society to which these titles are so important.”  
He gave them a quick explanation before turning to Eriko.  
“I'm sorry. They have such a strong instinct to protect.”  
“It's quite alright. It does them, and you, great honor.”  
She tilted her head slightly and brushed her claws through her tails while clearly considering what the twins had said.  
“How about this little ones. If promise you will try to remember to call me Eriko, I will agree not to address him as Kage unless needed for formalities, is that agreeable.”  
They instantly gave Takeshi a glance and he nodded that they could agree to the terms.  
“Hai Eriko-san!”  
The use of Japanese and the addition of the honorific made her smile and nod before telling them that they may use _chan_ if the wanted to.

“If we are quite done with interruptions, how about we do this?”  
Takeshi scolded the twins softly while bringing the conversation back on track.  
Pulling a few strands of hair he quickly braided a ring similar to the ones Eriko had made, but where hers had been silver tinged with the green of foxfire his took on a coppery red tone that matched his aura.  
He bound his word of honor that he would not abuse the agreement into it before giving it to her.  
“Are you sure you are not part kitsune? You work your magics like we do.”  
“If you ask those employed by the Kiryu household in my childhood they would claim me to be all kitsune.”  
The quip soon had everyone laughing and it took a few minutes before things settled down again.

With her price paid Eriko walked over to a locked section of the bookshelf and retrieved a rectangular box containing the texts and with a slight touch of foxfire she unlocked the enchantments that kept the box sealed and carefully lifted out the finely crafted vellum scroll and placed it on the large desk.  
“No one knows the true age of this scroll, the vellum and the ink are both enchanted to protect them from the ravages of time, making it harder to accurately date it.”  
She unrolled part of the scroll almost reverently.  
“The writing is in a form of Sumerian cuneiform that would place its age somewhere between 2500 and 1000 BC and the vellum used matches the time period. However, due to the enchantments the scroll has never been presented to the scientific community for formal dating.”  
Handing both of them a booklet containing the translated text they began their studies, with one or the other occasionally taking a break to join the twins in their games so they would not feel left out.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“It is late, even for those of us who are not mortal.”  
When Eriko brought their attention to the time it was already late, well past the girls normal bedtime, they had fortunately taken a proper nap though.  
“Take, would you and your leash care to accept my hospitality for the night? A meal, and beds to rest safely in?”  
It wasn't the formal oath of hospitality, but Takeshi was sure she would offer it if he asked, but as a sign of trust and respect he turned to the others without asking for it.  
“So, do you think we should accept and stay here rather than return to the hotel?”  
No convincing was needed as all three instantly nodded their agreement to stay.

Ushering them into the dining room Eriko began to serve food in a show of acrobatics and foxfire, vegetables, meats and seafoods marched themselves onto the table where Takeshi and Emelie joined the show.  
Emelie used her tail to capture the dancing ingredients and toss them to Takeshi who used a pair of borrowed blades to slice it all up at lightning speed before Eriko caught the sliced foods on plates she balanced on her tails.  
The twins were laughing and clapping excitedly at the odd show before them and they all enjoyed an extravagant _Sukiyaki_ , Japanese hot pot.  
After the meal they spent some time playing games to let the twins settle down a bit before Eriko showed them to the guestrooms and helped get the twins in bed, and once they were tucked in she brought Takeshi and Emelie to a small sitting room.  
“The rooms are warded, you will be able to sense them but they will not be disturbed by any activities outside their room.”  
Her wink and snicker made it rather obvious what kind of activities she was referring to.

As evening turned to night Eriko asked them about more details of their stories and when Takeshi mentioned that Emelie's scent had changed with her transformation Eriko leaned in against Emelie and took a deep sniff of her hair.  
“Blue lotus and water lilies, such a pure scent for a demon and yet _so enticing_.”  
She whispered in Emelie's ear with a seductive purr.  
Emelie blushed scarlet when Takeshi leaned in on her other side and kissed the spot behind her ear.  
“Enticing indeed, but not nearly as enticing as the peppermint she gives of when aroused.”  
Emelie couldn't believe he had just done and said that and hissed at him in mortification.  
“Take!”  
But he didn't seem to listen as he purposefully searched out all of her sensitive spots.  
“You know, when she was suffering the effects of her transformation she actually considered turning to Kasumi for help.”  
With the whispered revelation Emelie began to realize just what he was up to, he was trying to tease her into accepting Eriko's advances.  
“Take?”  
Her voice now tinged with fear and worry.  
“Ssh, don't worry. Your _appetite_ won't harm her anymore than it does me, even if you were to accidentally take from her life-force it's vast enough to easily withstand it, and any energy lost would be recovered in a matter of hours.”  
He carefully soothed her fears while continuing his teasing.  
“You will always need to feed, and there might be times when you need to feed and I am not able to give you what you need. To learn to be able to feed from others without fear of harming them you need to practice. Your power can be controlled, and someone who you cannot harm might be a good place to start, don't you think?”  
“Maybe.”  
She hesitated, she knew he was right but she still worried.  
“Don't worry, kitsune are known for being generous and skilled lovers.”  
He teased her, intentionally _misunderstanding_ her hesitation he caused her vivid blush to turn an even darker shade of crimson.  
“Indeed, the only ones who come close to our skill are the _Inu_ and the _Ō_ _kami_ , must be a canine thing.”  
Eriko piped up with a grin.  
“Foxes, dogs and wolves. Whatever did I do in a past life to deserve this?”  
Emelie groaned as she surrendered to their combined touch and the swirling flames of green and red as the massive auras unfurled to envelop her.  
“Must have been something really good.”  
Eriko purred at her as two sets of clawed hands robbed her of her clothing before stealing away what composure she had left.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Thursday was spent studying the scroll trying to find some clue of how to find the Obsidian Halls and after referencing other texts and obscure translations they agreed that Iceland would be their best bet, a region in the north known as _Dimmuborgir,_ The Dark Castles, an old volcanic area that according Nordic folklore was supposed to be the gateway to hell and in some of the old Christian myths it was where Satan landed when cast from the heavens.  
With the blending between Lucifer and Satan in many of the old religious texts it was worth checking out, but after some talking Takeshi and Emelie decided they would first solve the issues with Takeshi's family.  
Once those issues were handled, at least to a point where they were more manageable they would take the time to have the extended vacation with the twins that Emelie had suggested, hopefully that would give the twins time to grow more confident and able to manage them being away for a while.  
Once the twins could manage without them for a few weeks they would head to Iceland and search, a search that Eriko offered to help with but Takeshi choose to decline, while the kitsune's ability to see through illusions along with her knowledge of old legends would be useful the price she asked was to high for his taste and he had no intention of using what she owed him so quickly.

Just as he was getting ready to send the twins to bed Eriko approached him with a serious look.  
“I have been thinking Kage.”  
The twins instantly glared at her, but Takeshi reminded them that sometimes formality required that she use his title.  
“Please, speak your mind Eriko-san.”  
“In the old accords it is stated that each head and heir should retain a kitsune adviser and while you are not formally named as either you are the only acceptable heir in the eyes of the kitsune community. The Kiryu name is bound to the Ryujin, her Blood, her Blade, not the blood of the humans she chose to ally herself with. As the true wielder of the Ryuken and blood bonded to the dragon you **are** the Kiryu family. In the days of the accord, if there was a chosen wielder only they could hold the title of head.”

With a swirl of demon silk Eriko kneeled down in front of Takeshi and placed her hands to form a triangle on the floor between them and as she lowered her head towards the floor her tails fanned out behind her to properly display all nine tails.  
_“I, Eriko, Kyūbi of the Silver house offer myself into the service of the Kiryu, in accordance with the old ways I would advise the one who wields the Ryuken.”_  
Her words were spoken in an ancient, highly formal form of Japanese that even Takeshi had to struggle a bit with to reply in kind as it was so rarely used.  
She remained in a low bow while he considered her words, only the occasional twitch of the tip of a tail betrayed her tension and agitation as he deliberately made her wait.  
_“What of your obligations as a teacher? Would you abandon those who rely on you to teach them?”  
_His question was intended to push her buttons, questioning her loyalties to see how she would react.  
_“There are others of my house who are equally suited to be teachers, they can assume my name and take my place and teach, but none as suited to be advisers to the Kiryu.”_  
Her answer though calm held a slight edge at his suggestion that she would abandon her duties, the fact that she had said that there were others of _her house_ rather than others of the Silver House was another nail in the board telling of her true heritage.  
_“To you I might be Head, but I am still Kage to Kasumi, bound by oath. You will come with us and stand before her, if she agrees I will accept you into my service. However, as long as you are with us you may not charge any price that has not been agreed to ahead of time, any price mentioned after the fact will be forfeit!”_  
His words were final and Eriko accepted them with a slight deepening of her bow before standing.

“What did they say?”  
The twins asked Emelie in loud whispers.  
“Sorry girls, I'm not **that** good at Japanese, and I think they spoke some **really** old and formal kind.”  
“We agreed that I will go with you to Hawaii and meet with Kasumi-sama and maybe come live with you if she agrees.”  
Eriko explained with a smile.  
“If you stay, can you teach us to do magic?”  
Their eyes were beaming at the thought of learning from the old kitsune.  
“Oh, I promise I will teach you every trick I can if you promise to practice using them on Takeshi here.”  
She offered with a grin.  
_“That sounds like trouble, are you sure it's a good idea to bring her?”_  
Emelie's silent question was tainted with a laugh and was met with a mental groan.  
_“I am quite sure it is a terrible idea, but still, it needs to be done. I can always pray Sumi-chan refuses her.”_  
Though he knew that Kasumi would accept the kitsune's offer, if not only to make sure he would suffer at the hands of the twins and kitsune tricks.  
After cautioning the twins about accepting offers from kitsune he told them that it was okay to accept this one which they did with wide smiles.  
A few minutes later Takeshi interrupted the twins dance of joy telling them it was time to go to bed.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“I can't believe it's Friday already...”  
Emelie muttered slightly as she helped the twins gather up their games so they could head back to the hotel and pack everything up and check out.  
“We did accomplish a lot though.”  
Takeshi's almost giddy energy had Emelie laughing and teasing.  
“You're just looking forward to meeting that guard.”  
“Oh, what guard?”  
Eriko's head popped into the door frame as if summoned and Emelie quickly told her about the incident with the car rear-ending them.  
“Ah, I see. I did hear some rumors of the Kiryu no Kage taking lovers freely among males and females, human and youkai alike.”  
It was quite obvious that she fully approved of it.  
“Kitsune are very open about sex, aren't they?”  
Emelie's question made Eriko smile reassuringly at her.  
“We are, more so than most youkai.”  
“How come?”  
“Most youkai don't mind males being with males, or the other way around, they do however often frown upon youkai pairing with humans. Half-bloods are looked down upon by most youkai as their diluted blood weakens them. And at the same time their power causes humans to fear them, making them double outcasts.”  
“I'm glad you're not one of those who disapprove.”  
Eriko just bowed her head slightly in acceptance before leaving to do whatever it was she needed to do to prepare to leave to join them.

They would be flying back to Hawaii during the night, something that initially had the twins somewhat distraught and Eriko had insisted they were welcome to stay as long as they wanted.  
“As tempting as the offer is, my dear Kasumi-sama would be rather cross if I didn't return in time for my _surprise_ party.”  
Eriko laughed at his tone before she returned to distracting the twins with various games while Takeshi and Emelie checked to make sure everything had been properly packed into the Blackout.

The sun was well into setting by the time they were heading toward the restaurant where they would meet with Dan for the offered drink and some food.  
“Take, are you actually nervous?”  
“Just a bit. I'm hoping he turns out to be a nice guy.”  
“Not smitten you say...”  
She harrumphed teasingly, but it quickly turned to stunned silence when Eriko scolded her lightly.  
“Em, you are being unfair. Keep in mind that he has had very few opportunities to just be friends with someone.”  
Moments later Takeshi felt her tail curl around his wrist, and the tip of it gently stroking his hand.  
“I... She's right... I didn't even consider that. I'm sorry.”  
“It's okay sweetie.”  
He tried to soothe her but she didn't want to listen.  
“No it's not. Stop always saying it's okay!”  
“Em, sweetie, please. Not while I'm driving.”  
“We will talk about this later.”  
“Yes, co-alpha. Can you agree to waiting until we return home?”  
They had learned that sometimes it helped soothe her if he acknowledged that she was indeed his so-alpha, she clearly had pack instincts hidden deep within.  
“I can.”  
“Emmy look!”  
Sarah's eager call quickly diverted Emelie's attention, allowing him to focus fully on driving again.

He listened to Emelie chatting with Eriko and the twins and he could feel the occasional burst of foxfire followed by laughing and clapping from the twins, it would seem Eriko wasted no time in showing them her tricks.  
Luckily it would be many years before they could learn such tricks, if ever, since they were fueled by foxfire, a rather advanced form of Qi manipulation that took both power and control, but unfortunately kitsune had many tricks that did not require foxfire.

After parking the car in a parking garage near the location Dan had given them they followed the GPS to the address given and found Dan waiting for them outside a small corner pub.  
Takeshi once again found himself appreciating the young man's looks, he was wearing a rather standard casual wear with loose fitting, dark, cargo pants, winter boots and a warm, hooded, jacket.  
His leaning slightly against the wall outside the pub reinforced the somewhat carefree vibe.  
“So this is the one is it?”  
Eriko's voice held a gleeful curiosity.  
“Mhm.”  
“I must say I agree, he is quite good looking.”  
Her teasing quip earned her a flash of fangs that quite clearly told her to keep her claws, and tricks, to herself.

As they got closer the could see the various small signs in the windows that announced they were serving grilled meats and fish, specializing in game meat, pizza and quality burgers along with a wide selection of beverages.  
“Ah, there you are! Welcome to the corner that God forgot.”  
Despite the words his voice held a warm fondness that told Takeshi and the others that he probably considered the pub a second home of sorts.  
“Mr Guard!”  
The twins ran up to him with their arms out, prompting him to kneel down and giving both of them a hug.  
“My name is Dan, remember? Dan Lindgren.”  
“Mhm, we remember Mr Guard.”  
At his puzzled look Emelie snickered softly while Takeshi explained a bit about the twins and names.  
“They haven't decided if they like you well enough to use your name, just bare with them please.”  
“Ah, I see. Have to earn my name do I?”  
“Mhm..”  
The twins nodded and scampered back to Emelie who stepped up and greeted Dan with a hug, something she normally didn't do, but she understood what the twins were instinctively trying to do.  
By greeting Dan in a more intimate manner they made it seem like that was normal for all of them, which opened up for Takeshi to do the same.  
And he did, carefully taking note to the how the smaller man reacted to being hugged, and the reaction pleased him greatly as the hint of arousal that had spiked when Emelie hugged him spiked again, only stronger.

“I hope you don't mind that we brought a friend of Em's along.”  
Takeshi took a step back and nodded toward Eriko.  
“Of course not, the more the merrier.”  
“Erika, this is Dan, the checkpoint guard who helped us with that fender-bender. Dan, meet Erika, a friend of Em's from school.”  
Eriko was wearing a blonde variation of her human persona and the introduction was close enough to the truth for everyone to feel comfortable with it.

As they were about to enter the doorman stopped them with a pointed look at the twins as well as Eriko and Emelie who he seemed to suspect did not have the proper age for drinking but after a few words from Dan he shrugged and opened the door to let them in.  
“The normal age restriction for admittance here is 25 to keep the worst of the party crowd away and get more mature customers.”  
Dan explained quickly, and Emelie added for Takeshi's benefit that while legal drinking age at pubs was 18, they were free to set a higher age if they wanted to.  
The inside was somewhat dark, but in a cozy, intimate way and Dan showed them to a booth toward the back of the establishment where they would not be bothered by the more rambunctious guests who were only there to drink and _be merry_.

“Here's the menu, I suggest you stay away from the salads. Just make your pick and I'll let the kitchen know what you want.”  
Dan handed them a stack of simple, laminated, menus printed on your basic printer paper.  
“Emmy, what's _renstek_?”  
The twins pointed to one of the pictures on the menu while completely butchering the name.  
“It's renstek, a steak made with caribou meat, served with a juniper and wild mushroom sauce and riced potatoes.”  
Emelie carefully pronounced the name of the dish for them.  
“Can we have that?”  
“Of course sweetie.”  
Turning to Dan she asked if it would be possible to make a small serving for the girls as they would no doubt want to sample more of the items.  
“I'll talk to the owner, I'm sure he can arrange something.”  
Eriko quickly picked the boar burger while Emelie opted for the moose meatballs, leaving Takeshi to consider what to order.  
“I think I'll have this deer tenderloin plank. Can you have the chef make it with a whole loin?”  
Dan looked a bit wide eyed at the request.  
“Yeah, sure, gonna cost you a bit though, and it's a lot of meat...”  
“Oh don't worry about that. And please, make sure sure it's not overcooked, we all prefer our meat as rare as possible.”  
“The chef will be happy to hear that. He hates it when people order _well done_.”  
With a laugh Dan headed toward the kitchen to relay their orders.

“I can see why you are interested. He has a certain roguish charm.”  
Eriko took the opportunity to further discuss her impression of Dan.  
“Mhm...”  
Takeshi was slightly distracted with watching Dan's back as he leaned slightly against the counter which made Eriko snicker.  
“And a nice ass.”  
She added which made Takeshi huff at her and turn his attention back to the table and shortly after Dan returned.  
“The kitchen wants to know if you would like some starters while you wait, some of these dishes will take a while.”  
“That sounds like a good idea.”  
They all agreed that it might be for the better to have something small to snack on while they waited.  
“Anything in particular you want, or don't want?”  
“Surprise us.”  
“Indeed, but please, nothing sweet.”  
The twins instantly complained about Takeshi's request, but still when he scolded them lightly and told them they could have something sweet for dessert.  
“One moment then, I'll be right back.”

While they waited for their food to be served Dan began telling them about the reason for his intense dislike for the GCTI, how their actions, their greed, had cost him his father..  
“My dad worked for them as a construction worker, building a hospital in Chad for their _Building a Better World_ program and when he got hurt they refused to even pay for a ticket home, they just dumped him in a run down hospital and left him to his own devices. Luckily one of the other guys in his team managed to get word to the embassy in Sudan and they were able to arrange transport home for dad so he could get proper medical care.”  
But as the story continued Dan explained that during those two weeks in that run down hospital his father had contracted a nasty infection that never healed right, and he never fully recovered, ultimately succumbing to the infection and an impaired immune-system two years later.  
Hearing about the loss of his father the twins scooted closer and curled into Dan's sides and Takeshi took note of the way he gently soothed them while allowing them to soothe him.  
_“He has a good hand with them, even if they are a bit skittish and hesitant to trust him.”_  
Emelie's silent observation told him that she had been watching carefully as well.  
_“Mhm. Given some time I think they would accept him just fine.”  
_Dan also told them about several friends and colleagues who had similar stories and experiences with the GCTI.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“What are **they** doing?”  
Sarah and Maria watched in confusion as two of the other patrons settled some sort of dispute by following the time honored way of having a good old arm-wrestling bout.  
“They are arm-wrestling to see who is stronger.”  
Dan was the one to supply the explanation and for the moment it seemed to satisfy them, but much to the others' amusement it didn't last very long.  
“I bet Take is stronger than them.”  
Sarah's voice held taunting quality that made Takeshi curious, and when Dan gave him a quick glance he responded with a teasing flex and a slight nod.  
“Yeah, I don't think I'll be betting against you on that one.”  
They were right of course, there was no way a normal human would be stronger, but Dan's rejection of the suggested bet had the twins visibly deflating, they were obviously after something and was hoping to use a bet to get it.  
“I bet bet Emmy is stronger than you.”  
Maria's bet made Dan snicker, it was obvious that he believed himself to be stronger than the tiny slip of a woman sitting next to Takeshi.  
“You do do you? So, what is it that you would like as your price if you win?”  
“A big plate of garlic and butter prawns!”  
The demanded price made Dan laugh, before asking what he would get if he won.  
“You won't win. But I guess you could have my bag of candies.”  
She held up the sizable bag with hand pulled peppermint candies that was her little treasure.

While Dan haggled with the twins about the suggested bet Emelie talked it over with Takeshi, unsure if it would be okay for her to actually win.  
_“Don't worry, arm-wrestling is a lot of technique. Just hold back enough to make him look good.”  
“Okay.”  
“Besides, I think he would be more than happy to let you win to make them happy.”  
“Yeah, I think you're right. From what I have seen so far, I really like him.”  
“So do I, so do I.”_  
Once Dan and the twins had an agreement they turned to Emelie to see if she was willing to play along.  
“Okay, okay, but if I win I want a few of those prawns.”  
“Okay!”  
Moving to the arm-wrestling table they drew quite a bit of attention, mostly teasing snickers about Emelie's size, which lit a determination in her to shut them up.  
She did make sure not to make it look too easy though, allowing Dan to almost beat her a few times before claiming victory.  
“Damn, what the heck do you feed her?”  
Dan half asked, half complained while rubbing his wrist.  
“Only the best is good enough for my sweet little Em.”  
The answer caused both Eriko and Emelie to snicker slightly at him as they understood the double meaning of Takeshi's words.  
There was quite a bit of grumbling among the other patrons as well as a few of them had placed personal bets with Dan as the winner, the ones who had decided _What the heck, why not?_ and placed their bets on Emelie were cheering though, offering her drinks and treats as a token of gratitude.

When Dan returned from the kitchen Takeshi noticed that he seemed nervous about something, flicking glances toward the dark corner of the bar.  
Following Dan's gaze Takeshi spotted the owner, and the bouncer, engaged in a rather hungry kiss that radiated emotion, and he could feel Dan freeze in a mix of fear and anticipation, it would seem the cause of his nervousness was worry about how Takeshi and the other would react to seeing two men kissing.  
He suppressed a sigh and allowed his gaze to linger for a while before flicking it to Dan and giving him a slightly teasing smile and an appreciative wink which instantly made the young man relax visibly.  
It would seem he was very concerned about how other would react to finding out he didn't conform to the heterosexual norm that was still dominant in human culture.  
Takeshi hoped he would overcome that once he realized that none of them cared, and that they actually shared that trait with him, though Emelie was unsure if she would actually be able to fall in love with a female, and not just enjoy sharing her bed with one.  
Or if she would find it enjoyable without Takeshi being there.

“No! Not that one!”  
Maria's complaint when Emelie tried to take the largest prawn as her prize brought Takeshi's attention back to what was going on at the table as a mock battle ensued over the buttery morsels.  
Of course he took the opportunity to both scold and tease his chosen family, his pack, a bit by quickly snagging the contested piece with his own chopsticks, and then after a moment of consideration, quickly plopp it into Dan's mouth when he was about to say something.  
Dan spluttered for a moment before chewing and swallowing with a crooked look at Takeshi, but there was something in his eyes and the hint of a smile that made Takeshi's pulse quicken for a moment and he could feel the curiosity from Emelie that told him she had noticed.  
“Take...!”  
The twins complained for a moment but they quieted down quickly when Takeshi gave them a bit of a scolding look and reminded them they were supposed to stay quiet and not disturb the other patrons.  
“Sorry...”  
Even Emelie joined in the apology as she had been encouraging the behavior.

As the night moved on the twins curled up against Takeshi and under the cover of his aura combined with a whispered weave of fox-magic from Eriko they fell asleep as the adults kept talking, and drinking.  
When the bartender announced last calls Dan offered them a drink of the pubs own absinthe, the pub owner also owned and ran a micro-distillery that specialized in making the potent liquor.  
Emelie and Eriko both quickly accepted but Dan was surprised when Takeshi refused.

“Well, I **am** driving, not to mention piloting a military class jet tonight.”  
It took a few moments before Dan realized just what had been said but when he did he sputtered in shock.  
“What? Wait! Dude, you can't drive after all you have been drinking! That would be really stupid and dangerous, not to mention illegal! Damn, I thought you had taken a cab here.”  
He was clearly agitated, and Takeshi could almost taste the concern and worry on his aura, he clearly cared for their well being.  
“Don't worry, it takes a lot stronger stuff than beer to get me drunk, absinthe might just be strong enough to do it though, that's why I'm not having any.”  
“I don't believe you, there is no way you could down all that beer and not be legally drunk!”  
“The bar has test equipment, right? Bring one here and I can prove it.”  
Takeshi couldn't resist a slight smirk.

As a Blessed he had an extreme resistance to toxins, including the neurotoxic and psychoactive ethanol.  
Drinks such as beer and most wine would have no effect on him as his metabolism would break down the ethanol before he could be affected by it.  
He had found that really strong alcohol could actually affect him even without the addition of wolfsbane, and he was unsure how he would react to the addition of the wormwood toxins present in absinthe.

Dan, who refused to believe him called the bartender and asked him to bring the test kit and handed it to Takeshi, asking him to prove his claims of being completely sober.  
“I don't believe it. And I'll be damned if I let you leave here in anything but a cab unless you test green.”  
Unlike the old breathalyzers the modern test kits did a blood analysis and would not be affected by the the ethanol present on his breath from consumption, it only measured what was actually in his blood.  
Cleaning his finger with the provided alcohol-free sterile swab he proceeded to place his finger into the tester and a moment later the small lancet took a few drops of his blood for testing.  
Dan shook his head and muttered disbelieving curses when the test showed green and 0 blood alcohol, and he asked Takeshi do to it again to show it wasn't just some fluke and when the second test showed the same result he just shrugged and shook his head before ordering three absinthe and another beer.  
As the pub closed and they began getting ready to leave Takeshi promised to give a call if they visited the city again and Dan told him he might be going to D.C. for the award ceremony in July.  
After a moment of consideration Takeshi gave Dan one of his business-cards that he always carried.  
“If you want to be there and have any trouble getting there, don't hesitate to give me a call and I'll do what I can. Even come pick you up if that's what it takes.”  
Dan took the card and placed it in his walled while blushing slightly and thanked him for the offer.  
“Take care Dan, and hope we meet again.”  
Emelie gave Dan a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before helping Eriko make sure the twins had their clothes on properly.  
Takeshi offered a similar goodbye, for forwent the kiss though he very much wanted to give Dan one, instead he gave him a slightly tighter hug, and allowed it to linger just a moment longer than was strictly considered casual.  
Dan, who was noticeably drunk returned the hug with a lot more feeling than he had when they arrived at the pub and when Takeshi stepped back he could feel a slight flicker of disappointment in Dan's aura.

With the goodbyes done Eriko helped Takeshi carry the twins to the car as she, like him, was nearly immune to the effects of alcohol, Emelie on the other hand was slightly drunk, but nowhere near as drunk as she would have been if she was still human.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Story Time_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

While he did the usual checks Emelie and Eriko helped the sleepy twins get strapped in and ready for takeoff.  
“Uncomfy...”  
“I know sweetie, but it's just for takeoff. Then you can go nap in the corner.”  
Emelie soothed Sarah who was complaining about the harness.  
“Em, would you take the seat so we can clear with the tower?”  
The Blackout was registered for a 2 man flight-crew and would require both pilot and co-pilot to report in before receiving clearance for takeoff.  
Fortunately there wasn't much traffic at the private airstrip at night so they quickly got clearance and before long they were at cruising altitude and Takeshi engaged the autopilot before helping get the twins into the makeshift bed in the back.

“So, what's your impression of Dan?”  
There was a hint of nervous energy in Takeshi's aura as he asked Emelie for her opinion.  
“He seems nice!”  
Twin voices calling from the dark corner revealed that the occupants of the makeshift bed were not asleep as they should be.  
“You two are supposed to be sleeping, not listening in on what we are talking about.”  
Takeshi scolded them with a slight edge as it was the second time they had done it during the trip.  
“Our opinion don't matter?”  
The flicker of pain in their auras instantly had Takeshi regretting the scolding, even though it was mostly because of them misunderstanding.  
“Of course it does sweetie, it's really important. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.”  
Takeshi quickly moved over to them and gave both of them a hug in apology.  
“What I meant is that you are supposed to be sleeping, not listening to us. I was planning to talk to you about Dan once you woke up.”  
“Promise?”  
“I promise. Now sleep you little hooligans.”  
“Okay...”

“So, back on topic, Dan Lindgren. What's your impression Em?”  
This time they waited until the twins were sleeping soundly.  
“Hmpf, how about you go first?”  
Takeshi just sighed, he could tell from her tone that she had no intention of letting him get away this time.  
“I believe he may be an empath. Not sure if latent, or just unaware and untrained, but I'm leaning toward the latter.”  
“Oh no you don't.”  
Emelie tutted at him for trying to dodge the true essence of the topic.  
“He is attractive, downright gorgeous. But it's strange, I feel no urge to seduce him. And yet I know I would not refuse him should he invite me to his bed. And I want him to be mine.”  
Takeshi was genuinely confused by his reaction to Dan, he was clearly attracted to the man, and yet felt no desire to woo him, and he felt an urge to claim him.  
“I think I may know what is going on.”  
Eriko offered softly.  
“Would you please consider enlightening me.”  
“Why of course. I did swear to be your adviser.”  
“An oath I have yet to accept.”  
“I will offer my mind anyway.”  
“Ah, the mind of a fox, how useful that may be.”  
She tutted lightly at him for the teasing quip about the common perception about foxes and madness.

“You told me that you have begun to experience demon instincts since your change. Including pack related ones.”  
“That's right.”  
“Well, you are an Alpha, your instinct is to build a pack, to claim individuals who would be useful, who would strengthen your pack. And Dan shows several desirable traits, his language reveals that he may not be the brightest student, but his work position as watch commander at his age shows is is well trained and skilled at various security applications.”  
“He's really fit too, stronger than he looks.”  
Emelie added her observations from the arm-wrestling match.  
“Indeed, and he appears to be healthy, nothing obvious wrong. He is good with the kids, and he is good looking, a desirable trait for a breeding pack even for a male. And he possesses abilities beyond a normal human. And he acts like a beta. Naturally submissive toward alphas, but dominant and forceful, even toward an alpha, when necessary.”  
Eriko's observations did make a lot of sense.  
“So all in all, a very desirable beta?”  
“Yes. Very.”  
“You may have a point. It would explain why my strongest urge is to hire him, not to bed him.”  
Takeshi's admission caused both women to snicker at him before Emelie turned and gave him an odd look.  
“And yet, I believe I felt something akin to jealousy when I kissed him on the cheek.”  
“Envy, not jealousy. And yes, I very much wanted to kiss him as well, see how he would react. But even more so, I wanted him to kiss me... To taste his essence.”

Meanwhile in a small apartment at the edge of Gothenburg the man of the hour woke with a gasp, vivid dream images of strong arms, a playful smile, and amber eyes that seemed to glow with hidden power leaving his body burning with desire.  
Without thought he reached down and took himself in hand before the images could fade, and with a strangled gasp a new name fled on his breath as he found his release faster than he had in a long time.  
_“Take!”  
_With a sigh he carefully got out of bed, mindful not to soil the soft cotton bedding with the mess he had just made.  
Dan Lindgren didn't want to, but he had to admit, at least to himself, that he had fallen for the stunning man he had previously only read about.

The twins didn't sleep very long and after a quick snack the spoke about how they felt about Dan, and they eagerly agreed to the suggestion of trying to hire him and bring him to the island.  
By the time they landed on the island it was morning again and they headed up toward the house where they were met by Kasumi, no doubt alerted by the presence of an unfamiliar youki and Takeshi quickly explained the situation.  
“If I hear _Can we keep her?_ I'm going to slap you, understood?”  
Kasumi scolded him teasingly and he nodded with a grin.  
A grin that suddenly vanished as twin voices piped up behind him with a clearly impish tone.  
“Can we keep her?”  
A split second later the sound of a slap echoed against the surroundings followed by dead silence.  
The silence lasted for a few moments before laughter erupted as Takeshi nursed a vivid red handprint on his cheek and Kasumi nodded to the twins.  
“Sure, you can keep her.”  
Kasumi promised them with a grin.

 


	5. Family

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Family_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

With birthdays and holidays finally out of the way Takeshi was happy to get back to work, work that at this time meant planning and setting up everything needed for their planned re-take of the Kiryu family assets.  
The presence of the kitsune pretty much guaranteed that he would be named heir to the name, but the Council would do everything in their power to keep him from obtaining the Kiryu assets if they did that, so they had decided to stick with their old plan, much to to Eriko's delight, her trickster nature loved the idea of creating a fake heir apparent and trick the Council into willingly giving them everything.

“The way your shape-shifting allows you to alter your human appearance is quite useful. But your aura remains unchanged, you will need some way to hide that or your ruse will surely fail. I can teach you illusions to twist your power.”  
Eriko instantly offered to help train him in the use of illusions to support his transformations by hiding his aura.  
“Don't worry little fox. I have a few tricks of my own.”  
With a teasing tone he brought out the bracelet he used to alter his aura, put it on and activated it, which caused her to give his aura a rather rude probing to see how deep the illusion ran.  
“Remarkable work. I don't care what you say, if your blood is not part kitsune, then your soul must be.”  
“Perhaps it is.”  
He agreed softly, something about her words seemed eerily familiar, but the thought quickly drifted from his mind like fog in the rising sun.

No one had taught him how to create charms, he had done it on instinct and intuition and his chosen method was the way of the kitsune, taking a part of his body and using his power to reshape it into what he needed and using it as an anchor for his enchantments.  
She noted that the only thing that revealed that it was not done by a kitsune was that it was done using something closer to reiki rather than youki, had he used the youki from the dragon there would be no way to tell.

“Did you craft this yourself?”  
Eriko was inspecting the bracelet closely, even going as far as sniffing and licking both the leather cords and the metal beads.  
“Yes, but I took my inspiration from a piece of jewelry I saw in a store once and combined it with a design Tsukiko-sama made for me as a gift as a child. I figured it would be less noticeable if it appeared just like any other fashion piece.”  
“That's always a good idea. And this piece suits you well.”  
She pressed against him with a low purr, letting her tails brush against his back.  
“Mind yourself kitsune.”  
He scolded lightly, but he did let his fingers slip through the long, silky, fur of her tails.  
He may not have any intention of accepting her invites to bed her at the moment, but he wasn't above teasing her a bit, and as most greater youkai she was extraordinarily beautiful, something that didn't leave him unaffected.

Another thing on his list of things that needed to be handled was contacting the proper authorities to inform them that Maria had a daughter who would be attending to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in her mother's name and due to how the records were kept she would have to produce DNA proof of her relation.  
It would be easier for him to prove he was who he claimed to be since the biometric data in his GCTI file was extensive so he wouldn't need to announce ahead of time that he was going, he intended to give the Council no warning.  
Another trip to Giza was planned for him and Emelie to buy clothes for the presentation which also included the twins.  
And he spent an insane amount of time _arguing_ with government computers.  
Creating new entries with all the bells and whistles to make them look real took some effort, but thanks to Daniels' gift he was able to wrangle the infernal systems into doing what he wanted them to.

 

He had created two entries:

Katsuro Kiryu, born January 23rd 2031

Aiko Kiryu, born March 14th 2033

Complete with several biometrics, including a full DNA profile that if compared to his or Kasumi's DNA, or both, would show without any doubt that the DNA was that of their offspring.  
Hopefully the greed and hunger for power would make the council jump at the prospect of a proper heir without looking too deep.  
He was hoping they would accept blood samples without demanding a face to face meeting.

On top of having to create fake offspring he also had to create suitable paperwork for a pet **fennec** of all things.  
He was starting to regret his demand that Eriko pose as a pet in order to come along.  
In order to pick her form she had held a fashion show of sorts for the twins, showing off her wide range of transformations and when she had showed them the tiny desert fox with the huge, expressive ears it had been instant love, though with her pure white fur and green eyes she looked quite different from a normal fennec.  
Not to mention that anyone able to see auras would be able to see the eight extra tails swishing behind her.  
She had been rather upset however when he told her that if she was going to use the form of a fennec she would have to be injected with an RFID chip for the duration of their trip.  
The fennec was classified as an exotic pet and required special registration and was also required to have an ID chip and a passport of sorts.  
But all it took was one look at the twins pulling an expert level puppy-dog eye performance for her to fold and agree, the old fox seemed to have fallen for the impish nature that the twins had begun to develop once they started to feel safe.  
And he had to agree with her, no matter how frustrating they could be at times their energy was a breath of fresh air and he enjoyed watching them play around, especially when they played their tricks on someone other than him.

There was also the matter of the girls schooling and Matthews' health, but both those matters seemed to find a solution in Eriko.  
The fox, despite her own words, had a natural talent for teaching and the girls eagerly drank whatever she had to teach them and she gladly stepped up and took care of their tutoring, making sure they kept up with their lessons and that they went online and did their tests on time.  
She also developed a fondness for the old soldier whose somewhat quirky personality agreed with her and many nights she would join him and not return until several hours later, and each morning after one of those nights he seemed to be in slightly better health.  
She was obviously working her magics to help restore his health and for that Takeshi was grateful, the combination of her healing and giving Matthews something more to live for should help his recovery greatly.  
But after a few weeks he even began to look slightly younger, something that caused Takeshi to have a talk with Eriko about choice, and respecting Matthews' choice.

“Eriko, come with me please.”  
The sharp edge in Takeshi's voice had her bowing her head and following him to his private study.  
“I know you have grown to care for Thomas, but I must ask you to stop what you are doing.”  
“Stop what?”  
She was confused at first, not sure what he wanted.  
“The way you are healing him, you are altering his nature. It must stop. You must respect his wish to remain human.”

She had been rather furious at first that he would allow Matthews to die when he could do something about it, but eventually she had backed down when he explain how strongly Matthews felt about remaining himself, about remaining entirely what he considered human.  
When he saw her visibly deflate as she accepted his words she looked so broken he couldn't resist wrapping her in his arms and aura as he did whenever any of the girls were sad and once his aura enveloped hers he could feel her pain tainted by fear and he understood.  
“While I'm still new to being an eternal I can somewhat understand that as hard as it is to love another eternal and fear eternity, it must be even harder to love a fragile mortal, knowing their existence will be a mere blink of the eye compared to your own.”  
The shift in her aura told him without a doubt that he had guessed correctly as to the reason for her reactions.  
“But you should know, one of the first things Matthews told me after joining us here was that no matter how long, or short life might be, it's always too short let love slip through your fingers.”  
As he spoke Eriko seemed to relax a bit and the pain he had sensed when he touched her aura changed somewhat, fading from the the acute pain of a recent injury to the familiar ache of an old injury that would never fully heal.  
“Never let anyone tell you you are not worthy to be Head, I'm not even one of yours and yet you instantly step in to make sure of my well being, body, mind and soul.”  
With that she vanished from his arms in whorls of foxfire and he could feel her aura retreat toward Matthews's room.  
She had been wrong about one thing though, he **did** consider her to be one of his, just what she was on the other hand he was less sure of.  
Friend, yes.  
Family, probably.  
Pack, maybe, he just didn't understand it well enough yet to know and the Beast was silent.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Family_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The trip to Ginza for clothes had been a short one, only dropping by for a few hours to take all the needed measurements and picking out designs for the dresses and Takeshi had put in an order for an additional suit, the ones he had were standard tailored suits and the all white kumo-silk one so he ordered another kumo-silk one, all black with red paisley accents and lining.  
The one thing that had taken the most time was Emelie's dress, she had instantly fallen for a strapless black and purple trumpet dress with a beaded bodice, but the solid back was to high and interfered with her wings as well as her tail.  
So after some consideration Takeshi bound the tailor with _command_ before revealing himself and having Emelie show the problem so that it could be redesigned with her wings and tail in mind.  
The tailor had also tried to convince her of adding a short jacket or at least a shawl to cover the exposed shoulders but she refused to consider anything that would cover the dragon on her shoulder, something that caused a stirring of smug pride from the Beast within.  
Takeshi knew that the Council would realize the significance of the mark and it had potential to add some rather interesting twists.  
They had worried about the twins, but it turned out to be just as simple as his own as they had made an instant beeline to the ruffled gypsy skirt and top that was on display.  
The mix of greens, teal and aqua reminding them of Eriko's foxfire and they instantly begged for ones of their own, and both Takeshi and Emelie had caved in almost as instantly.  
They would return the following weekend to see if any adjustments were needed, as much as Takeshi wanted to they simply could not stay for the week, there was too much that needed to be done.  
While they were at the tailor Takeshi had also obtained a piece of silver kumo-silk that would be crafted into a harness and leash for Eriko's fennec form, he was sure she would object loudly to it, but she would have to comply if she wanted to join them.

The sound of his phone ringing startled Takeshi from his nap, it was rare that anyone called him.  
“Hai?”  
“Take, is that you?”  
“Ah, Dan. Yeah, it's me. Give me a moment and I'll call you back so you don't have to fork up the stupid rates for the international call.”  
“Thanks dude.”  
Takeshi quickly hung up and called Dan back.  
“So, Dan, what's the occasion?”  
Takeshi found that hearing Dan's voice made him very happy and he wanted to keep talking as long as possible, and he didn't want Dan to end up in trouble due to the high rates.  
As he spoke he could feel Emelie's curiosity over the bond they had developed, and Kasumi's attention shifted to him for a moment as well.  
“Well, you mentioned that you might be able to help a bit if I ran into any trouble with getting to Washington for the award ceremony.”  
“Indeed I did, so what can I do for you?”  
“Well, do you think you might be able to help me get a hotel-room that won't cost me a year's pay for the week?”  
“Well, I can get you a hotel-room, no problem. But I think it would be best if you just let me pay for it and try not to look at the bill.”  
Getting a room would be very hard outside of the high end VIP rooms that were kept open for high end clients, and those rooms did not come cheap.  
There was a deep sigh on the other end of the line along with some mutterings in Swedish.  
“Dan, don't worry about it, I promised I would help. So just relax and let me do my thing and I'll call back today or tomorrow with the reservation details.”

“....”

There was a long silence before Dan grudgingly agreed to Takeshi's solution.  
“So, how did it go with that tactical driving course you were talking about?”  
Takeshi carefully changed the subject to try to keep Dan talking.  
“I really don't know yet, haven't gotten the final score. But it was fun! And it sounded on the instructors like I was doing okay.”  
“That's great! Congratulations.”  
“Thanks.”  
In the end Takeshi was able to keep Dan talking for the better part of an hour before he excused himself as he needed to get to bed if he was to get enough sleep before his morning shift.  
“Good night then, sleep well.”  
Takeshi exchanged goodbyes, and just as he was about to hang up he added a teasing _Sweet Dreams_ that he didn't allow Dan to respond to before hanging up.

Takeshi's parting words made Dan throw his headset onto the bed with a hissed curse, like there was a single night where he hadn't dreamt of burning amber eyes and strong arms that made him feel safe since that fateful day.

“Oh, trying to share the suffering are we?”  
Emelie teased lightly from the door.  
“I can always hope. Why should I bee the only one suffering unfulfilling dreams?”  
The answering quip made her laugh as she sauntered up to him and gave him a proper kiss.  
He had dreamt of Dan quite a few times, always waking just as he was about to kiss him, his mind lacking the memories needed to make it more than a teasing hint of what could be.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Family_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

On July 3rd they took off for Washington DC, the twins wanted to go earlier but Takeshi didn't want to risk running into anyone that could tip of the Council that he was still alive, and there.  
Instead he promised them they would try to stay a few days after, it depended on how severe the reaction from the Council would be and while disappointed they took it rather well.  
The following morning Takeshi led Emelie and the girls down to the waiting limousine that would take them to the White House for the award ceremony, slightly distracted he made sure that the bracelet was secured and the illusions in place.  
He had opted for using the bracelet to alter his appearance into that of his true age even if the Council would probably be able to sense it when they got close, he could have altered his transformation to look his actual age, but seeing a 40 year old him rather than the 25 year old they were used to seeing had made the twins rather distraught and he didn't want them to be upset.  
After introducing himself to one of the guards there had been quite a bit of activity as they made last minute alterations to the event to fit his sudden appearance, which they assumed was for his personal safety, there were still quite a few people out there who had been loyal to the corrupt GCTI and that would want him dead if they knew he was alive.  
If those knew ahead of time that he would be there they would surely have done something to try to kill him.  
The guards had showed them to a small security room hidden behind the stage where they waited for the President to announce them.  
After a few rather long winded speeches about current matters it was announced that it was time for the Presidential Medal of Freedom to be awarded.  
More speeches about the unit, the GCTI, how they had been taken down followed and then came their cue.

“To receive the award in the name of the deceased we have a few very special guests with us today.”  
Takeshi could see the Council shifting in their seats, waiting to be announced as the ones to receive the award in his name, they were seated along with a group of ambassadors and a White House representative who were there to receive for their respective country, Takeshi had managed to convince security not to inform them of the change.  
“Emelie Eriksson, daughter of Maria Eriksson and her daughters Maria and Sarah.”  
Emelie and the twins stood as their names were called.  
“She will receive the award in her mother's name.”  
Emelie stepped up on the stage along with the twins who were holding Eriko's leash and there was a moment of silence before the audience broke out in cheers and shocked whispers.  
“And we are honored to also present someone who has been instrumental in revealing the corruption of the GCTI”  
In the short pause for effect he could hear murmurs wondering who it could possibly be.  
“Even after the horrible attack that killed his friend and severely injured him he still kept fighting to take down the ones responsible for the corruption within the GCTI. And he succeeded where all others failed.”  
“Takeshi Kiryu, former Sergeant of the GCTI Special Operations unit that ultimately brought to light that deep rooted corruption.”  
It was announced that he would be receiving the awards for the rest of the unit but Takeshi didn't pay much attention, his focus was on the Council and their reactions.  
Disbelief turned into shock as he dispelled the part of the illusion that hid his aura, that shock soon turned into anger and fear, and back to shock when Eriko released her aura.  
Focusing back on the formalities of the event he pointedly ignored the Council and the prodding of their auras, what was harder to ignore was the insistent tingling on his arm as his watch silently alerted him that someone was trying to call him, repeatedly.

Once they were done and he was seated next to Emelie and the girls he handed the three cases holding the medals he had received in the name of his unit to Emelie so he could check his phone.  
The calls, and messages, were all from a very confused Dan who had been watching the ceremony live from a nearby bar with some of his friends and had been quite shocked when he saw the older looking Takeshi on the screen.  
A somewhat evil idea came to mind and Takeshi waved for one of the guards to come over, he quickly informed the guard about where Dan was and that he was a personal friend and that he wanted him brought to the press-party after the main event was done.  
The guard had nodded and set out to arrange what he had been asked to and Takeshi resumed his observations of the Council while helping the girls keep Eriko from wandering of, it took a few reminders that she was supposed to be a mortal fennec, and thus nowhere near able to pull the girls along.  
After a few reminders she settled for bouncing around their laps and trying to climb on top of Takeshi's head, which he had allowed for a while just to keep the twins amused, there had also been quite a few camera flashes while he patiently sat there with a fennec proudly perched on top of his head.  
_“Guess I'm not the only one convinced of your excellent qualities as a father.”  
_There was a clearly teasing tone in the thoughts transmitted from Emelie as she listened to the whispers caused by his rather unusual _hat,_ quite a few women were commending the lengths he was willing to go to keep the twins entertained.

Once all the speeches were done they moved to a large reception area for the customary press-party where they were swarmed by reporters wanting to know their story, and quite few of them asked rather pointed questions about the twins, especially after hearing them call him _daddy_.  
He had quickly explained that they were part of a group of orphans they had come across while working on taking down the GCTI and since they had instantly taken to him and Emelie they had decided to adopt them.  
When asked what their relationship was they looked at each other for a moment before answering with a laugh.  
“Complicated!”  
A moment later Emelie continued with a short, and heavily censored, version of their meeting.  
“He came to me two days before my 20th birthday and dropped one hell of a bombshell about what had really happened to mom, and now a few years later I find myself raising a pair of wild twins with him, so yeah, complicated about covers it.”  
The reporters were about to ask more questions when one of the guards walked up and quietly informed Takeshi that his _guest_ had arrived, with a quick apology to the reporters he ushered the twins along to follow the guard.  
“Ah, Dan, good to see you made it.”  
Dan looked rather bewildered, and uncomfortable in the borrowed suit that the crew had stuffed him into which Takeshi took full advantage off by giving him a solid hug.  
“Takeshi? Damn, it is is you! You have **got** to explain this...”  
“I will, but now is not a good time, too many eyes and ears around.”  
When he heard the twins call for Eriko and watched the tiny fox respond he turned to Emelie.  
“You gave them a pet fox and named it after your friend?”  
“Ehm, not exactly.”  
Her reply was delivered with a mix between a smile and an embarrassed squirm.  
“Don't worry, we will explain everything once we are done here. For now, let's make those pals of yours green with envy.”  
Takeshi grinned and pulled Dan along toward the area where a few live cameras were doing interviews for various news and celebrity channels and Emelie corralled the twins and a certain over-energetic fennec to follow behind them.  
Takeshi kept a close eye on the Council members that were present but they made no move to approach them, the combination of his aura and Eriko's seemed to keep them at bay.  
He did however sense a slight disturbance over his bond with Kasumi, telling him that she was furious about something and shortly after that he received a text message informing him that the council had contacted her and that she wanted him to call her once they could talk freely.

“Well, what do you say Dan, how about we retire to our hotel for food, drinks and answers to what is no doubt a long list of questions?”  
“Please.”  
Dan was clearly overwhelmed, but there was a strong sense of curiosity radiating from him as well.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Family_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The first major shock of the evening was delivered by Eriko when she had promptly used her fox-magic to secure the room and resume her humanoid form the moment they got back to their suite.  
“What the hell?”  
It had taken him a few minutes of sputtering in Swedish before he found some words that were reasonably intelligible.  
“That is Eriko, she is a _Kitsune,_ a youkai, Japanese spirit fox. Though, that fennec form is actually closer to her true form than the one she is showing off now.”  
Takeshi explained, his voice calm but the smile in his eyes was obvious.  
After a few minutes of silence mixed with muttered ramblings Dan found his words and went straight to the point.  
“So, is anyone here besides me actually human?”  
“We are!”  
The twins piped up instantly, but as he looked at Takeshi and Emelie they were silent.  
“Ehm, can I get back to you on that one?”  
Takeshi answered him as he scratched his head with a somewhat sheepish grin.  
Looking over at Emelie, Dan seemed to almost beg her to tell him she was indeed human, but no luck as she gave him a wide grin and a shrug.  
“Sorry! Succubus here.”

As she spoke she unfurled her tail and wings, shifting her aura at the same time so that they, along with her horns would be easily visible to him.  
Dan sat back heavily on the couch and for several minutes he sat there muttering to himself in Swedish before looking up again.  
“Why the heck are you showing me this?”  
He looked at Takeshi, begging for answers.  
“Because I believe we could become good friends.”  
Takeshi sat down across him and moments later the others joined him.  
“You are honest, straight to the point and you speak your mind.”  
“In other words, blunt and somewhat rude, just like Take.”  
Eriko piped up which earned her a flash of fangs and a growl.  
“Your actions during our little fender bender proved that you have honor and a caring nature, especially toward children.”  
This had Dan in a rather embarrassed sputter.  
“Your reasons for wanting the GCTI gone shows that you value family. Those are all traits I value in a person, especially a friend.”  
“What he is saying is that you are just as messed up as him.”  
Eriko quipped again and this time she was rewarded with a snarl as Takeshi pounced at her and knocked her to the floor before pinning her down with the bulk of his partially transformed form and closing his jaws over her throat, demanding submission.

Dan looked at Emelie with wide eyes asking for an explanation to Takeshi's suddenly violent behavior, which to Dan seemed like a rather extreme reaction.  
“She has been teasing him, intentionally annoying him ever since we got back.”  
Emelie filled him in, not showing any signs of concern over what was happening.  
“But, she had barely said anything, definitely not something to warrant such a reaction.”  
Dan objected while watching the battle of wills before him.  
“It's not what she said, it's what she has been doing. She has been using her power to push and prod him, like if I was constantly poking you and refusing to stop when asked. She has intentionally been trying to get this reaction out of him, to force him to show more of himself to you.”  
“Okay so she has been trying to piss him off, but I mean, I'm sure I saw blood, she's actually **bleeding**! Isn't that taking it a bit to far?”  
“Oh, don't worry. He's not really hurting her, those marks will heal in a matter of seconds once she applies her power to them. The only reason she is even getting them in the first place is because she is fighting him and refusing to back down.”  
A sudden loud snarl followed by a whimper drew their attention back to the pair on the floor, just in time to see Takeshi lick the small wounds that he had caused, instantly healing them, before helping Eriko get back on her feet.  
When she set back down in the sofa the twins were there, scolding her that she shouldn't tease him like that.  
But Dan didn't really notice, all he had eyes for was the monstrous creature standing in front of him, half wolf, half man.  
“Varulv!”

There was no need for translations for that one and Takeshi slowly forced the more beast like traits to recede as he walked over and sat down.  
“You could call me a werewolf, but it wouldn't be very accurate. I can take the form of any animal I want, I can also change my human appearance extensively. The natives would have called me _Skinwalker_ but a more modern term would probably be just _Shapeshifter_.”  
“Damn, this is a lot...”  
“I know, I'm sorry about that. I intended to give you more time to get used to all the weird stuff, but Eriko decided her way was better and forced the issue by taking advantage of the fact that I'm not entirely in control of some of the dominance related instincts of my Beast which can trigger it to surface and cause incidents like the one you just witnessed.”  
“Beast?”  
Takeshi sighed, this was one of the parts he had been hoping to wait a while with explaining.  
“I wasn't born like this, I was turned into this by another. Just like old werewolf myths their bite, or blood can turn you into one of them.”  
“Oh...”  
“Em, sweetie, would you take Eriko and the twins and go find us a nice dinner please.”  
“Of course, come on girls, hurry and I'll let you pick dessert.”  
With the promise if their choice of dessert the twins were dressed and ready in a matter of minutes and the moment they left Dan gave Takeshi a questioning look.  
“What I'm about to tell you is something I don't want the twins to hear, or see what it does to me.”  
“Kinda figured that.”

Taking a deep breath Takeshi began telling Dan more about his unit, his feelings for them, the bond they had formed, and what it meant to lose someone you were bonded to in such a way.  
Sitting silently with his eyes closed and head hanging trying to get his emotions back under control Takeshi wasn't the least big surprised when he heard Dan get up and walk over to him.  
When he felt a hand on his head he leaned in to the touch and moments later he felt the slight dip in the couch as Dan sat down next to him, offering silent support, and Takeshi took him up on it.  
Still leaning against the offered shoulder he told Dan about Amarok, of what had really happened in those years following the death of his unit  
He told him about how the planet was dying and and trying to get rid of what was killing it.  
He explained briefly how he had become what he was, how Kasumi had also become similar and how he had changed Melissa to save her life.  
He told him of how the change had affected him and Kasumi in a different way due to their unique background.

“So, you're planning to turn me into whatever you are?”  
When Dan finally spoke up his question was somewhat blunt, but Takeshi didn't mind.  
“Perhaps. If I find you to be worthy and you truly want to change, understanding what it means.”  
He had never been able to fully explain to Melissa and it still troubled him at times that he had made her choose without fully understanding what she was choosing and if he could help it he would make sure it never happened again.  
He had already begun teaching the other girls some of the basics to make sure they had all the information if, or as he suspected, when, he made them the offer, or they asked for it themselves.  
“So, you want to get to know me to see if I'm good enough to help you save the world?”  
Dan gave him a puzzled look.  
“Actually, there was something more pressing I had in mind.”  
Takeshi sighed deeply before continuing.

“I need people I can trust to help me keep the girls safe. With my announcing that I am still alive my family is going to be coming after us. Kasumi and I will probably have to travel to Japan several times and maybe even for extended periods.”  
Taking the glass Emelie had filled for him before leaving he drained most it and pushed on.  
“During these trips I would have to bring Em along with us because of her succubus nature giving her some rather hard to fill dietary needs. The twins are much too fragile mentally to be left behind, they suffered extreme neglect from their biological parents who in the end sold them to a sadistic human trafficker. This would leave Eriko and Matthews alone caring for eight girls and the entire house.”  
“Wait, Matthews you said? It sounds familiar somehow, did you mention him last time?”  
Dan pressed in when he paused for a moment.  
“I didn't, but you might know him from the GCTI reports. Commander Thomas Matthews of the GCTI Liberty.”  
“They said he was killed the night of the raids, that some guard went nuts and killed him and a bunch of other suspects. They said he was one of the big players behind all the crap the GCTI has done...”  
“He was framed, they put him out as a scapegoat to try to cover some of the real bad ones. Em and I broke him out of there and I killed most of the others because they were as bad as they get.”  
“I heard a guard was also killed, supposedly gunned down after killing the people they had arrested.”  
Dan's voice had a slightly suspicious note as he questioned Takeshi about what had really happened.

“I killed the guard to protect Em, he was shooting at her and when she was hurt I lost control. All I could think of was her cry of pain and the smell of her blood, it never even occurred to me that she heals just as fast as I do, all I could think was to protect. No, not just protect, to eliminate any threat.”  
He was not proud of what he had done, while he didn't regret protecting Emelie he did regret killing the guard, he could have just knocked him out.  
“I... I tore his throat out, ripped his head clean from his body. It was a needless death, I lost control. And I might lose control again and kill when it is not needed.”  
He decided not to hold back, to tell Dan the full truth, let him know that he was a cold blooded killer.  
“Hey, come on dude, don't be so hard on yourself! You had to act fast, there's no time to be second guessing yourself in a situation like that. You act fast, you act decisively or you or someone you care about ends up dead.”  
Takeshi didn't respond, instead he pushed on with his story.  
“While Eriko is more than capable of defending the estate she is still only one person, and while Matthews can handle himself pretty well under normal circumstances he is still not well, and they can only be at so many places at once. There is also the day to day care of the property, making sure the girls are fed, follow their curriculum and so on.”

Takeshi took a short pause, drinking the last sip of his glass and when Dan actually refilled it for him he thanked him softly before draining it completely.  
“What I'm trying to say is that I want to hire you as head of security at the Jacaranda Estate in Hawaii. You will receive fair pay, the same food the rest of us eat and lodging in the form of small house and garden patch of your own on the estate, you will be provided with a boat so you can visit the main islands on your time off. You will receive tickets to go home and visit regularly, and in case of an emergency I will take you there in the Blackout if at all possible.”  
“And what about pension, medical and stuff like that?”  
It pleased Takeshi that Dan thought to ask.  
“An offshore account will be made in your name, however it will be up to you how much you choose to place there from your pay. You will also receive a _Dragon_ , a one troy ounce gold round each month. Any additional hazard pay and such will be paid in _Dragons_ as well.”  
“Okay, time out. I don't do imperial, how much is a troy ounce in metric?”  
“31.1 grams and a bunch of decimals after that.”  
The only reason Takeshi had made the rounds out in troy ounces was because it was a common market standard and the US based private mint company that had worked the raw gold into rounds charged extra to make rounds in metric sizes so he had opted to stick with the troy ounce ones.  
“Damn, that's a lot of gold.”  
Dan quickly fished out his phone and did a search on the spot prices for gold before blanching.  
“Almost $2.500 for one of those troy ounces, and you're telling me I'll get one of those on top of the usual pay each month?”  
Takeshi just nodded, he would be well paid, but Takeshi considered it money well spent if it meant convincing the young man to come not just work for him, but live at the island as well..  
“And how much is the regular pay?”  
Before Takeshi could answer they were interrupted by the return of the others, who were carrying a large number of boxes wit takeout food, and a quick look at the time told Takeshi that they had spent a lot more time talking than he thought.  
“Guess we will continue after dinner.”

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Family_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi snorted in amusement as Dan had gone completely slack jawed at the sight of the sheer amount of food that was being unloaded onto the table.  
“Do you always eat this... Extravagantly?”  
The attempt at being diplomatic made Takeshi laugh.  
“Those with power beyond that of a mortal tend to require more food. Human food is simply not very nutritious to us so we require a lot of it.”  
He quickly explained while sniffing the various boxes, something smelled delicious and he was trying to find it.  
“Take, I picked up a little treat for you at the butcher.”  
Emelie held out a wrapped package with a teasing smile and one sniff revealed it to be what he was looking for.  
“Thank you sweetie.”  
Opening it revealed fresh veal offal that made him lick his lips.  
“You're gonna eat that raw, aren't you?”  
Dan's voice was a bit hesitant.  
“Ideally. But if it bothers you I can wait a bit, or cook it.”  
“No, no. It's okay. I guess it's safe for you at least.”  
Dan's words prompted Takeshi to carefully inspect the meat, though he was sure Eriko already had at the butcher shop, and found it to be clean and healthy.  
“It's perfectly safe for a human too. Would you like to try a bite?”  
“Ehm... I guess...”  
He didn't look all that sure, which had everyone snickering and teasing him a bit while Takeshi cut a thin slice from the heart and dipped it in the sauce.  
Dan still looked a bit hesitant when offered the slice, but he took it and chewed slowly.  
“It's actually pretty good.”  
“Then go ahead, have some. There's plenty for all of us. Would you like to try some of the other things as well?”  
“What the heck, why not. Worst that can happen is I dun like it.”

Takeshi was happy to find that Dan was an adventurous eater who was more than happy to try anything offered, it would make it easier to bolster his health and resilience.  
Takeshi had no intention to allow Dan to get even a cold if there was something he could do to prevent it.  
It was a bit unsettling how strong the urge to protect and provide for Dan was, and Takeshi was feeling a strong urge to prove that he was a good and capable alpha.  
Eriko had explained a bit about why he was feeling the way he was, a true beta chose their alpha just as much as the alpha chose them, it was a bond of mutual trust, the word beta held a double meaning though.

I could mean someone with the pack instincts of a beta, those who were happy following rather than being leaders, who sought to be protected rather than to be the one to protect, who would submit rather than try to dominate.  
It could also refer to the position of beta, the alpha's right hand, second in command, the one that took care of the little things so that the alpha could take care of the big things, they were also the ones who looked after the alpha.  
Not all betas were suited to be the beta of the pack, most betas were simply too submissive, it took a beta that was willing, and able, to stand up to their alpha for them to be able to fulfill the role properly.  
A pack usually consisted of several betas as they were the most common, depending species there could be as many as 1000 betas for each alpha, a pack rarely had more alphas than the alpha pair though.  
Two of those betas would be acting betas, usually a male and a female chosen by the alpha pair and forming the beta pair, though they weren't always actually a mated pair, or a pair at all, Eriko suspected that Takeshi would pick a male lover as his own beta and that Emelie would probably pick a female lover of his, or one of the girls, as her beta.  
Any alpha offspring was usually ejected from the core pack when they matured enough to fully present their nature, these would usually form satellite packs that lived within, or right next to, the main pack's territory and remained loyal and submissive toward their original pack.

As usual mealtime was barely contained chaos with mock battles over choice pieces, but when dessert was unpacked Dan groaned loudly.  
“Aw man, deep fried banana with spicy syrup and ice cream... If I'm gonna eat like this every day I'm gonna have to triple my workout or I'm gonna end up looking like a beach ball.”  
“Oh? Already decided to accept my offer?”  
Takeshi teased lightly, well aware that that was not what Dan meant.  
“Well, I'm tempted, but you never did tell me how much the pay is, or what medical coverage I will have and stuff like that.”  
Takeshi poured Dan another glass of the wine selected for dessert before settling down to continue the interrupted conversation.

“You will be receiving $10.000 a month, and as I mentioned before, how much of that you choose to save for your pension is up to you. You will also receive free housing and three meals a day.”  
He did repeat some of the information, but he figured Dan might need it with everything that was going on.  
“Damn, that's good pay! But what about medical, you never answered that one.”  
“Any medical needs will be fully covered, but I do reserve the right to solve any medical issues in house if possible.”  
At Dan's somewhat terrified look Takeshi couldn't help laughing.

“Don't worry, between me, Eriko and the things we have access to we can fix pretty much anything that does not require extensive surgery.”  
Dan yelped when Eriko suddenly appeared next to him and dug her claws into his arm, and then with a whisper of foxfire the wounds vanished, leaving a bloodied, but unmarred arm behind.  
“Hey! That hurt you know!”  
He complained but Eriko just smiled at him and began licking away the blood.  
“Okay, stuff like this, is it gonna be happening a lot?”  
“Yeah, probably quite a bit. You might as well get used to it.”  
Takeshi laughed and refilled Dan's glass.  
“There's just one thing.”  
Dan hesitated and seemed very uncomfortable and almost scared before continuing.  
“Before you decide if you really wanna hire me for that kinda work you should know I got degenerative night blindness. I'm doing okay right now but it won't be long before they start pulling my licenses, giving nice big red flags that I'm only allowed to do stuff during daylight.”  
Takeshi just chuckled at him.  
“Don't worry, that's easy enough to fix.”  
“Not according to the docs I've been to, they say it can't be done, not with the kind I got.”  
“You will soon find that there are many thing the doctors working our so called modern medicine can't do that we can do easily.”  
When Dan told them about his condition the Mother had spoken up in Takeshi's mind, telling him that if there were no easier ways he had her permission to use the blessing to heal Dan, it would seem She too approved of the young man.

“What do you think Dan, think you could come work for me with all the insanity it would no doubt drag you into?”  
“Yeah, I think so. I definitely think so.”  
“Good. How long will you need to put your affairs together? The standard period of notice in Sweden is 3 months, right? We can skip the green card and US work permits if you want to as I can hire you through one of the Japanese companies I control.”  
Again Dan began squirming, telling them he had more to tell them.  
“Dan? What's wrong?”  
“I, well, I can start right away. I kinda had a falling out with the boss when he refused to let me move my vacation one week to be here, I even had one of the other guys wanting to swap but boss refused so I resigned.”  
“Oh, I see.”  
“Well, that's not all.”  
Dan interrupted Takeshi and pushed on with what he had to say lest he lost his nerve.  
“Since I moved to Gothenburg for the job I figured I might as well get out of town, head out and live a bit. So I spoke to Dad's old colleagues and they set me up with a 5 year green card and work-permit. I sold my apartment and pretty much everything I own and was planning on trying to find work here in the US for a few years at least.”  
The news brought a wide smile to Takeshi's face, happy that he wouldn't have to wait.  
“I guess we have a preliminary agreement then. We can draw up a formal contract tomorrow.”

When Dan got up to walk over and shake on it Takeshi felt a flicker of something teasing in Emelie's aura and a moment later she slid up behind Dan and gave him a hip tackle that send him stumbling toward Takeshi and a moment later he was sprawled across his lap.  
“Just seal the deal with a kiss and be done with it!”  
Emelie called with a teasing tone.  
“Don't mind if I do.”  
Takeshi replied in kind and leaned in to kiss Dan, carefully searching for any hint of rejection, but as far as he could tell the slight struggle was about finding his balance again, not fighting him and after a few moments it ceased as Dan relaxed in his hold, subconsciously submitting.  
He claimed a quick kiss, but far from what he wanted as he could feel a surge of fear from Dan, there were some rather mixed signals though as he could feel the disappointment when he broke of the kiss, and the way Dan's hands rested against his hip and chest were no longer about balance.

Dan was caught by surprise by Emelie's sudden tackle and a moment later he found himself sprawled across Takeshi's lap, and scrambling to find his balance he didn't really notice what was being said.  
When he felt strong hands holding him for a moment he looked up, and something in those amber eyes made him freeze, then relax, and a moment later his mind short-circuited as Takeshi leaned in and kissed him.  
It felt like the moment lasted forever, and somehow he could feel an amused curiosity from Takeshi, but then panic began to set in as he felt himself starting to move to respond to the kiss, and he had no doubt Takeshi would realize exactly how he felt about him if he did indeed return the kiss.  
But fortunately Takeshi broke it off before anything more could happen, and Dan found himself both relieved, and disappointed, as strong hands helped him back on his feel.

“An excellent way to seal a deal, don't you agree?”  
Dan just spluttered at Takeshi's teasing quip, but he did manage to nod, though he almost jumped out of his skin when Emelie placed her hands on his shoulders.  
“Dan, I didn't do that without reason. Take here has a hard time putting his feeling into words sometimes. And when he does find himself unable to say what he feels, he tends to resort to hugs, and kisses to relay his feelings. You felt it right? What he was feeling?”  
“Amused curiosity?”  
“That's right.”  
“So that's another I'm gonna have to get used to?”  
“Well, it would help if you could learn to deal with it. But if you can't, just tell him off and he will respect it. So, no, you don't have to, but it would make things a lot easier if you do.”  
“I guess I'll have to try at least.”  
“Attaboy!”  
Emelie's teasing praise made Dan blush an even deeper shade of red and those in the room with enhanced hearing could hear a soft rumbling growl, almost like a purr, from Takeshi, telling them he was very pleased with Dan's answer.

Once Dan had calmed down again they spent the rest of the day talking and playing games until Dan started yawning noticeably.  
“How about I order you up a ride back to your hotel, and have them pick you up tomorrow at 11 so we can share lunch and start working on a suitable contract?”  
Takeshi wanted nothing more than to invite Dan to stay the night, but he needed to talk to Kasumi, and he didn't want to completely overwhelm the poor man.  
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”  
“It's settled then.”  
Takeshi quickly called the concierge service and had them arrange a limousine for Dan which caused a few protests, but he quickly gave in with a huff when Takeshi mock growled at him.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Family_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

After Dan had left for his own hotel Takeshi called Kasumi to see what the Council had said to piss her off to the point where he had found himself forced to mute their bond despite the distance between the.  
“Sumi, what did the council have to say this time?”  
“As we thought, they demanded that we return and that I marry immediately to produce an heir. I told them I had already birthed an heir, fathered by you and they took the bait, hook, line and sinker.”  
As suspected the Council had jumped at the prospect of a son with his blood, hoping for a true Kiryu heir with his abilities.  
“They of course demanded to meet this son to verify my claims but I told them he is undergoing training to receive his dragon and can not be distracted, offering to send blood samples instead for verification and they accepted. They did demand though that he be brought to the main house for his marking.”  
They had expected as much, but this gave them time, they should be able to keep the Council of their backs for a while with nothing more than the occasional update to inform them of how the supposed heir was doing.  
He was sure however that they would demand that the son be brought before him on his 10th birthday to be formally named heir, giving them about half a year to plan their next step and get Dan settled in to help keep the girls safe when they had to leave.  
“They are being predictable, that's good.”  
Takeshi hummed softly trying to soothe Kasumi without being obvious about as that would just make things worse.  
“Mhm, it suits us.”  
She agreed before moving on to the questions she had been burning to ask ever since the ceremony.

“So, that young man, Dan, what are your plans for him?”  
“I have hired him as head of security for the Jacaranda estate. I think he will fit in just fine once he has a chance to adapt to our ways.”  
“Are you planning to bed him?”  
She knew her Kage, the brother of her youth, and her lover, well, and something felt a bit off.  
“Well... It's a bit odd, he's attractive, but I'm not feeling the urge to seduce him, though I wouldn't refuse if he invites me. Eriko-san believes it to be my alpha nature recognizing him as a suitable Beta and wanting to claim him for the pack, and that that instinct is overruling my desire to bed him.”  
“Well go on, tell me about him. He's obviously good looking, but seemed a bit shy, though probably just overwhelmed.”  
“Yeah, he's good looking, has the most amazing eyes. A bit shy and insecure at times, but when it matters he has a well honed edge.”  
Once he got started Takeshi delved into a long conversation about his impression of Dan, and in the end Kasumi tutted at him, and accused him of being completely smitten by the young man which made him groan and complain.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Family_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Ah, Dan! Hope you managed to sleep despite all the weird stuff we dumped on you.”  
Takeshi greeted Dan at the hotel lobby with a hug and was pleased when Dan surrendered to it and relaxed almost instantly.  
“I did actually.”  
“Good. Now come on, the girls have been working hard picking out what to have for lunch.”  
“Yeah, yeah. I'm coming.”  
They kept the conversation light while they ate, and once done Emelie and Eriko took the twins down to the park next to the Hotel to give them some privacy to talk.

“I took the liberty of making a rough draft for a contract for you to have a look at to get a basic idea of what I have in mind.”  
Takeshi handed Dan a flex page with the draft he had created during the night.  
“It looks really solid.”  
“My word is my bond, but I understand that it will probably take some time for you to grasp just to what extent that goes, so by creating a solid contract I hope to put you at ease.”  
“Mhm... I notice there are a bunch of empty lines here under other terms.”  
“Indeed, I was hoping to add a few more personal terms to the contract. But not without talking to you about them first.”  
“Well, don't keep me hanging, what kind of terms?”  
Dan's expression clearly showed his mood, a nervous anticipation with a healthy dose of curiosity.

“First one. You obviously keep a fairly well balanced diet and work out enough to maintain your fitness, but I would like to take that a step further by giving you a supplementary diet and alter your workout a bit to improve your overall performance, health and resilience.”  
Dan looked rather apprehensive at the mention of a diet which made Takeshi smile.  
“What kind of diet?”  
“Mostly adding juices and smoothies to fill up your vitamin depots, getting you off that overrefined table salt and starting you on proper, unrefined, mineral salt. And shifting you more toward protein and fat, less carbs, so raw or steamed fresh vegetables instead of potatoes and that stuff. And a lot more fish and seafood, if you are anything like Em was your vitamin D levels could do with a boost.”  
“Doesn't sound too bad. And yeah, I'm a Swede, we pretty much all have low vitamin D. I do take supplements in the winter though.”  
“So you do you agree to add a clause that I'm permitted to prescribe a dietary and exercise regime and you will give it your best effort to comply with it?”  
“Yeah, I do.”  
“And will you also allow me to teach you various martial arts techniques while we are at it?”  
“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”  
“Good.”

This time Dan did notice the soft, somewhat purring, growl that showed that Takeshi was pleased.  
“Okay, time out. You growl when you're happy?”  
The confused tone had Takeshi smiling as he nodded.  
“Yeah, that was a pleased growl. I know it can be a bit confusing, but don't worry, we will work with you and make sure you learn to interpret the various growls and other instinctive expressions you may come across with those of us who are not human.”  
“This is gonna take some getting used to...”  
“I know, but we will do what we can to make the transition easier for you. And you clearly have good instincts so I'm sure you will do just fine.”  
“Thanks...”  
Takeshi could see a slight blush coloring Dan's cheeks, but for once he didn't take the opportunity to tease, instead he moved on to the next point.

“I noticed you weren't carrying a sidearm back when we met. Do you have any weapon experience?”  
“Not with handguns, I do have a hunting license and I make sure to practice with my rifles regularly, and I join the moose hunt every year, and occasionally some boar hunting as well.”  
Dan gave Takeshi a contemplative look before speaking up again.  
“Let me guess, you want me to learn to shoot with handguns? And maybe something more powerful as well?”  
“Indeed. Handguns, various automatics, assault rifle, and some long range rifle training.”  
“Oh well, sign me up I guess.”  
Dan sighed with a crooked smile.  
“Anything else?”  
“Well, how would you feel about learning how to co-pilot, and later, pilot, a Blackout? And maybe some other aircrafts as well.”  
The way Dan lit up like the proverbial kid in the candy store was answer enough for Takeshi.  
“Seriously?! You would teach me to fly?”  
“Of course, I have a plane and it's always useful to have more people who can fly it.”  
“Wow, I always dreamed about getting a pilot license, but that's how they found out about my eyes...”  
“I'm sorry. And don't worry, we will fix those, and I'll make sure you get to fly, and pilot, even if I might not be able to get you a real license.”  
“Thanks! Really! Seriously! Thanks!”  
Takeshi just patiently waited for the teary-eyed young man to calm himself.

“What class drivers license do you have?”  
“I only have a Swedish class B license, so regular cars and light trucks, and light trailers.”  
“We definitely need to expand that. I would like you to learn to drive all vehicle classes, including boats and things like that. Also you did well on your tactical driving, but I would like it if you agreed to let me take you to learn from some street-racers that I know.”  
Again Dan just sighed and agreed, but there was a giddy energy in his aura that revealed it was something he would enjoy a lot.

“Now, is there anything in particular you would like to add?”  
“If possible I would like an opportunity hunt at least once a year, not necessarily in Sweden, but game like moose, deer and boar.”  
“If hunting in Alaska with a pack of wolves works for you that's an easy one.”  
Dan just nodded, then shook his head and moved on.  
“Also, would you be willing to teach me to dive?”  
“Of course, and I will make sure you have good equipment. You will also be expected to help us fish for food.”  
“Oh, okay.”

By the time Emelie and Eriko returned with the twins Takeshi and Dan had worked out a comprehensive contract and was just waiting for them to act as witnesses.  
Takeshi allowed Dan to sign both copies first before signing his own name, and the bringing out the case which held his _jitsuin hanko_ and a small red, ink-pad.  
Going through the familiar motions of inking the stamp and placing it on the paper was calming, and he could see that the process had sparked an avid curiosity in both Dan and the twins so he would explain about the hanko once they were done.  
Emelie quickly took the pen and added her signature as a witness, and Eriko did the same, but with a flare of foxfire that settled into the paper, making it nearly impossible to tamper with the contract, or the signatures.

“So no kisses this time?”  
The way Dan managed to sound so utterly relieved had everyone laughing, but they could all sense the slight undercurrent of disappointment that promised an interesting time ahead of them.

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Next Generation_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Come on Dan, stop stalling and get in.”  
Takeshi patted the passenger seat of the rented car.  
“But...”  
“No buts. You said it yourself, you sold almost everything you own. We need to get you the basic stuff and we might as well buy it now.”  
“But...”  
The repeated objection earned him a slightly frustrated flash of fangs before Takeshi mock threatened to stuff him in the trunk if he didn't get in.  
“Yiikes, I'm coming, I'm coming, no need to get testy.”  
The smile told Takeshi that Dan wasn't any more serious than he was himself.

“You're going to need stuff like bed-linen and all that so you don't need to use the boring, generic stuff we have in case of emergency. And of course pick out a mattress, pillows and duvets that makes you comfortable. And don't worry, I'm paying for all of it. Consider it part of the boarding section of the contract.”  
“O-okay...”  
Dan was clearly getting overwhelmed again, but Takeshi was far from done.  
“You will need office supplies, a desk, chair and all that. I will get you a phone, tab and computer from my tech supplier so we don't need to worry about that, just let me know if there is any particular items you like, or absolutely don't want.”  
“Isn't this a bit much?”  
“Not at all. Oh, and you will need a suit and some tactical gear, with armor, but we will shop for that stuff in Japan, I have a few good sources.”  
This time Dan didn't object, understanding the value of proper equipment for his job.

“I suggest you get a few of these.”  
Takeshi grabbed one of the the satin-weave hemp sheets and tossed it over Dan's head so he wouldn't have any choice but to feel the silky softness of the high quality fabric.  
“Now you're being mean, this stuff may be comfy but it's way too expensive.”  
Dan grumbled and reluctantly put the sheet back in the bin.  
“I wouldn't have suggested it if I considered it to be too expensive.”  
“Seriously?”  
“Mhm. Go pick yourself a few sets, about 10 should be enough for now at least.”  
Takeshi had an order out for kumo-silk bedding, but the wait time was fairly long.  
“Uhm, what size sheets should I be getting?”  
“That's up to you, we will buy you whatever size you want, but personally I would suggest a California King size.”  
“And how big is that? In metric ideally...”  
“About 183 by 213 centimeters.”  
“So a tall double...”  
“Mhm.”  
“I guess that would be really comfortable, especially if it's hot. Hate it when you kick the covers off cause you're too hot only to have 'em end up on the floor.”  
“You can have full climate control in the bedroom if you want to.”  
“I kinda figured as much, but I like sleeping with the window open in the summer, and I guess it's always summer where I'm going.”  
Takeshi agreed with a laugh, happy that Dan was finally starting to relax and open up a bit.

Unfortunately their good mood didn't last as a young family apparently took great affront when Takeshi teasingly pushed Dan onto one of the display beds and quipped that he would have plenty of room for more rewarding activities than sleep.  
“God damned faggots shouldn't be allowed in public.”  
The man sneered at them and the woman quickly nodded and agreed while ushering the children away with not so hushed complains that their poof children shouldn't have to see such disgusting, immoral behavior.  
Takeshi could feel Dan's aura go cold in a heartbeat as the man turned and started walking toward them in a distinctly aggressive manner, there was a flicker of fear, then came the calm steel that told Takeshi that his young head of security was ready to fight if needed.  
But Takeshi had no intention of allowing it to come to that, turning to face the bigot he pulled himself up and allowed his aura to unfurl and let his anger at the way Dan was obviously hurt by the harsh words seep into it, giving it a dangerous edge.  
When Takeshi nailed him with a glare and cracked his knuckles he suddenly froze and hurried after his wife with an excuse about them not being worth getting arrested over.  
“Dan, are you okay?”  
Takeshi quickly reins his aura in as he turned back to Dan to make sure he was okay.  
“Yeah, what an idiot. If you can't stand a couple of guys fooling around they should just stay at home.”  
Takeshi noted that Dan was intentionally downplaying the reason for the attack, and it did bother him a bit that Dan was so insecure about himself.

“That feeling when you turned toward him, you did something, didn't you? And you did it against that guy in Gothenburg as well, right?”  
Dan was clearly uncomfortable and trying to change the subject so Takeshi let him.  
“Yeah, I guess you could call it intimidation. I can slightly alter the energy of my aura to project _Satsu Ki_ , or _Sakki_ , killing intent. It gives my opponent the feeling that I'm intending to kill them, even if I'm not.”  
Taking a breath to make sure his anger at the other man was gone Takeshi sent a faint flicker of intent toward Dan who instantly tensed up a bit, but not nearly as much as an average person would.  
“Okay, please never do that again. That felt creepy.”  
“I won't, at least not outside of training you.”  
“Fair enough.”  
“But you could tell, couldn't? That it wasn't real?”  
“Yeah, I think so, it felt strange. Like something was missing.”  
“That means you have good instincts.”  
Dan's reaction solidified Takeshi's suspicion that the man was an empath.  
“But, what do you say we pay for our stuff and take a break? Get something to eat.”  
“Yeah, please. Just, anything but pizza. Americans just can't seem to make a decent pizza no-matter how hard they try.”  
The very familiar complaint made Takeshi break down laughing which earned him a somewhat startled look.  
“Em and her mother has both said the same thing more than once. Something about the bread it would seem.”  
“Yeah, it's weird.”  
“How about we find some nice seafood?”  
“Sounds good. I hear there supposed to be this really incredible place out by the river that supposedly serves a shrimp _Ceviche_ that is to **die** for.”  
“Guess we have our target then. Let's see if we can't find an address.”

After a quick search online they had their GPS coordinates and once they arrived Takeshi was pleased to find that the place smelled clean and fresh.  
Dan was a bit wide eyed though when Takeshi went ahead and ordered a wide selection of food, including lobster, crab, various clams and oysters.  
“Here, try one.”  
Takeshi offered Dan one of the raw oysters after letting his aura wash over it to make sure it was safe.  
Dan did look a bit apprehensive at first, but then he gulped the slippery mollusk down like a pro.  
“Hey, this good!”  
Another one was quickly offered with a wide smile, and a squeeze of lemon.  
The way Dan accepted the offered morsel soothed instincts that Takeshi had barely been aware he had.  
It had quickly become obvious that the pursuit of a suitable beta was a powerful instinct once triggered, it made him want to prove himself an able caretaker and protector, even if Dan didn't have pack instincts, yet at least.

It wasn't just instinct though, he found Dan's temperament to be refreshing, he was eager, adventurous and had a sparkling energy that was quite invigorating, and he also had a youthfulness about him that made Takeshi want to be a mentor of sorts for him.  
Takeshi had been expecting the slight attraction he felt to grow stronger as he really liked Dan's personality, but instead it seemed to almost fade, though, at the same time he knew he would happily bed the younger man should he offer it.

“Dan, go pick a few models you like here. You're going to need sunglasses and shooting glasses. Don't worry about the lenses though, just pick frames you like.”  
Takeshi motioned toward an optician along the street where hey were walking and this time there were no objections, just an amused huff as he opened the door and entered the store and started browsing the wares.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Next Generation_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

Takeshi spent 3 days shopping with Dan, using the time to get to know him better and soothe his instinctual need to prove himself to what he recognized as a capable beta.  
At the same time he could tell that Dan was nowhere near ready to actually step into the role of an acting pack beta, but Takeshi would gently groom him for the role in hope that he would one day awaken to the instincts of a beta and accept the position.  
He was confident though that if Dan accepted the Blessing he would become a beta with all the instincts, he was already showing a lot of them, which was unusual for a regular human, especially one with no prior contact with demons or demonic culture.

“I think we have everything now.”  
Takeshi put the last bunch of bags into the modified cargo crate that would be brought to their hangar so that he could bring it on board the Blackout when they were ready to head home.  
“Finally! Anyone ever tell you you're insane? There's no way I could ever need all this stuff.”  
“I might have been called something along those lines before, like 10 times today, by you.”  
The teasing reply made Dan laugh and his aura gained a bright edge that tingled along Takeshi's aura, making him laugh as well.  
“How about we get back to the hotel and have a nice dinner with the girls?”  
“Anything as long as it's not more shopping.”  
“Sorry, no such luck. I intend to cook dinner myself tonight.”  
The idea of more shopping made Dan groan, but he was clearly curious about what Takeshi intended to cook.

“Here, try one of these.”  
Takeshi tossed Dan one of the mangoes he had found at one of the many stalls of the outdoor market.  
“Great, how am I supposed eat this without tools?”  
The obvious confusion made Takeshi snicker and take the fruit back before using the knife he had hidden at his back to cut the fruit in half, remove the large pit and cut the flesh into cubes, but without removing the skin, making it easy to eat.  
“Thanks. Damn, you're good at hiding that thing, I didn't notice you were carrying it.”  
“Oh, this is nothing. I'll show you the fancy tricks when we get back to the hotel.”  
A quick snack, and a lot of fresh produce and seafood later they headed back to the hotel where Takeshi prepared a cold salad with copious amounts of creamy dressing which was eagerly welcomed in the unusually hot weather, as was the shaved ice dessert.

After enjoying their meal the sat down in the main room to play some games with the girls, and Takeshi decided to bring up one of the things that had been bothering him a bit, Dan's scent.  
His natural scent was obscured by various perfumed products, he didn't use excessive amounts, but it still prevented Takeshi from getting a good feel for his true scent.  
“Dan, there are a few things I would like to do. But some of it might just be too much for you.”  
“What is it now?”  
Dan sighed deeply at the thought of even more strangeness.  
“It's your scent.”  
“Aw man, don't tell me I have BO...”  
Dan's interruption made Takeshi shake his head with a smile.  
“Not at all, quite the contrary actually. Between body wash, detergent, fabric softeners, aftershave and such I can't smell your natural scent.”  
“Oh.. Am I wearing too much?”  
Dan's insecurities surfaced for a moment and Takeshi quickly soothed them.  
“Not at all. I just would like to smell the real you, without any perfumes or foreign scents.”  
“I guess just a quick shower won't do?”  
“No, you would need a thorough shower with a special soap used by youkai and demons for scent stripping, it will remove all scents but your own. And I would have to examine your scent when you are fresh out of the shower, it will allow me to detect the fine details, including scents that tell me about your health and emotional state.”  
“So, kinda invading my privacy?”  
“Mhm.”  
Dan sighed deeply at the request but Takeshi could tell that he would agree.

“You said a few things...”  
“Yeah, second one is also related to scent. I would like to scent mark you.”  
“Go on...”  
“It would mean some hugging, rubbing, maybe a lick or two at your neck and wrists.”  
“Anything else?”  
“It's a bit of a tack on to the whole scent marking thing, communal sleeping.”  
“Seriously?!”  
“Just for one night, it would allow the energies of our auras to blend a bit with yours.”  
“Just for one night?”  
“Yeah, unless you decide you like it, then you're welcome to join us whenever you feel like it.”  
“And what do I have to look forward to?”  
“Just the usual stuff, some snuggling, some manhandling, elbows in your back, a children's size 2 in your groin.”  
The last part made Dan look between Takeshi and the twins with wide eyes and the question obvious in his face.  
“Mhm, more than once.”  
Takeshi confirmed the unspoken question and Dan broke down laughing.  
“So, you think you would be okay with it? Remember, this is not required in any way. It's just me wanting to soothe my instincts.”  
“Ah well, I'm already way out there so what the heck. In for a penny in for a pound.”  
Takeshi had a feeling that would be the answer, Dan had a lot of courage.  
“Thanks. But please promise me you won't allow me to push you too far. If you're not comfortable with something I do, please tell me.”  
“Yeah yeah, I will.”  
“I'm serious Dan.”  
“I know, okay? I know.”  
Dan sighed and Takeshi could feel his aura turn into the slightly steely feeling that confirmed that he was being serious.  
“Good.”

As they got closer to bedtime Takeshi could tell that Dan was getting nervous again, but when he asked about it Dan assured him he was not about to change his mind just because of a bit of nerves.  
“Come on, let's hit the shower. I'll give you a hand with the scent stripping, then you can give me a hand. I need to strip myself as well for a clean marking, spent too much time soaking up the stench of the city.”  
At the mention of the smell of the city Dan gave him a contemplative look.  
“Would you tell me honestly. Has my scent been bothering you?”  
“No, it hasn't, not like that at least. The scent you use is tasteful and discreet and you don't over apply it. What bothers me is just that I can't get a good read on your true scent.”  
“Would it be safe to assume that you would prefer if I stop using scented products?”  
“It doesn't really matter as long as you don't use too much, less is more and all that.”  
Opening the door to the main bathroom Takeshi motioned for Dan to enter before following him and starting to undress.  
“Now, after we're done showering we will have to do this before we dry off because we don't have any towels that are unscented. You can use one of the washcloths to cover yourself with though.”  
“Okay, got it.”

Takeshi couldn't help using the reflective surface of the high gloss furnishings to sneak a peek as they undressed and he found that Dan had a really nice body, there was still room for him to put on a bit more mass without getting bulky though.  
He had to focus not to chuckle when Dan turned around and discreetly gave him a once over.  
“Wow, nice tattoo.”  
“It's just an illusion though. If you give me a moment I'll show you what it really looks like.”  
“Oh, okay, that didn't make any sense to me. But, whatever, sure.”  
Gathering his hair and pulling it to the front Takeshi allowed the power that covered his tattoo to slowly bleed away, revealing its true form.  
There were a few soft curses in Swedish before Dan got himself together again.  
“Now that's amazing...”  
He sounded somewhat breathless as he reached out toward Takeshi's back, only to freeze before actually touching the black scales.  
“It's okay, you can touch it.”  
Takeshi steeled himself to make sure he wouldn't give any obvious reaction to the touch.  
“It feels a bit like a snake. The same hard but soft kinda feeling.”  
Takeshi waited patiently for Dan to have his fill of exploring the scales on his back, focusing on not allowing any physical reaction from the very pleasant touch.  
“Are you coming down with a fever, or is your back always this hot?”  
“The tattoo is created from Kiryu, a Ryujin's, blood, so it's always a bit hotter than normal human body temperature.”  
“But you do run a bit hot, don't you?”  
“Yeah, unless I'm intentionally conserving energy. My metabolism is supercharged to be able to provide enough energy for my enhanced physiology.”

Takeshi was very pleased that Dan had noticed, and bothered to bring it up, his instincts, and the blasted Beast, telling him that it was a very good trait in a beta to be observant of their alpha.  
He did take a moment to scold the beast a bit for being absent and leaving it to Eriko to try to help figure out what was going on, but as usual it just withdrew and refused to give him the answers he sought.

“Dan, would you be okay with me giving you a bit of a physical as well?”  
“Looking for what?”  
“Well mostly I would be checking for signs of fatigue or wear in joints and ligaments, but also a bit of a closer look on your overall build, it would give me a bit of an idea about the balance of your form.”  
“My balance?”  
“Balance between power, agility and speed. And I could get a bit of an idea where to start working with you.”  
Dan considered the request for a moment and Takeshi just gave him whatever time he needed, knowing that he had been piling a lot on this time.  
“Yeah, I guess that could be useful, and we might as well get it over with.”  
“Well go on then, give me a good flex.”  
Takeshi teased lightly before starting to check Dan's physical condition a bit closer.

“Pretty good. You could benefit from putting on a bit of weight, both muscle and a bit more fat, but that should sort it self with the diet adjustments we talked about. And I think we will be adding bone broth to that as well, should fix that creaking. Your hands ache when it's cold, don't they?”  
“Yeah, a bit.”  
“We'll just have to fix that. Should be easy enough.”

After giving Dan a gentle nudge toward the shower Takeshi undid his braid before taking the demon soap and joining him.  
The way Dan relaxed and slumped slightly when he began washing his hair made Takeshi smile, he clearly enjoyed the slight bite of claws in his scalp.

Once they were properly washed Takeshi motioned for Dan to stand still and allow him to examine every aspect of his scent.  
“So, what do I smell like?”  
“You smell a bit like a deciduous forest after rainfall. But cleaner, crisper somehow. Scents can be hard to explain sometimes. But it's a nice scent, it suits you.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
When Takeshi noticed that Dan was leaning in slightly, discreetly trying to small him he snickered softly at him.  
“Go ahead take a proper sniff, see if you can figure out what I smell like.”  
Dan's ears instantly turned red, but he did lean in and smell Takeshi's chest and neck more thoroughly.  
“You small warm somehow, a bit like my sandalwood bracelet, and musky.”  
“That's right. Now, I'm going to let my power rise a bit and see if you can tell any difference.”  
Pulling on his power a bit he nodded for Dan to try again.  
“Spicy, definitely spicy. Warm spices like cinnamon and vanilla. Smells homey and safe somehow.”  
“Very good. You have an excellent nose for a human.”  
“Thanks, I guess...”

The scent marking did take a bit longer as Dan had a bit of a hard time relaxing, and the scent of his nervousness made Takeshi's nose itch, but one he did relax Takeshi couldn't help smiling at the way Dan snuggled against him slightly, and kept taking deep breaths of his scent, allowing it to calm him.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Next Generation_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

They stayed the rest of the week, giving Dan a chance to get accustomed to them a bit before exposing him to the rest of their family.  
He would still react rather strongly to all the strangeness that happened around the group but he would recover his wits faster and faster as he got used to it.

“Wow, that is one sweet lady!”  
Dan stared at the Blackout with wide eyes.  
“She is a beauty isn't she.”  
Takeshi brushed his hand affectionately over the carbon nanotube composite of the fuselage's anti-radar coating before giving the hidden access panel a gentle tap that activated the sensors that opened it so he could provide the codes and biometrics it wanted in order to grant him access.  
“Why don't you take the co-pilot seat once we are cleared and start learning a few things about her?”  
Takeshi nodded for Dan to take the seat just behind Emelie to be able to easily swap once they had their green light for takeoff.  
“Really?!”  
“Yeah, might as well start right away if I'm going to teach you how to pilot her. She's special this lady, D made all kinds of changes to her computers.”  
For a moment Dan just stared at him, then he shook his head with a sigh before breaking into a wide smile and nodding.

“How fast can she go?”  
“With her current engines and power cell she tops out just over mach 3, but structurally she can handle speeds in excess of mach 15. I am planning to get her some upgrades though, improve her speed, range and power output.”  
Dan's giddy energy made Takeshi turn to the twins.  
“Girls, you want to try going supersonic?”  
“Yay!”  
Their energy as just as eager as Dan's just a lot louder.  
“Now, I want you to promise to tell me if anything feels wrong.”  
“We will!”  
He would accelerate as gently as he could so that the humans on board wouldn't get overwhelmed, but there really was no way of telling how they would handle it, but much to his relief they all handled it just fine.  
He only maintained the speed for a few minutes though before slowing down to allow Dan a try at the controls.

“Whoa! That's your island?”  
“Mhm, that's home.”  
“Ehm, not to be that guy, but that volcano don't look very extinct...”  
“That would be because she's not. But don't worry. She's nice and calm, mostly dormant but will huff and rumble from time to time to let us know she's still around. And she will occasionally vent some lava out the back, into the ocean.”  
“But, what if she blows?”  
“She won't, she is being kept dormant by artificial means. The minor eruptions act like a safety valve, making sure the pressure won't get too high.”  
“I expect you to explain that than when you have a moment.”  
“Of course. There are many things left for you to learn, and some of them are easier to just show you.”

After a quick swing around the island to show Dan his new home Takeshi set the Blackout down on the landing pad and once down the twins couldn't get out fast enough and were now chasing each other around the small landing pad.  
“I think I see why you are so set on protecting them no matter the cost.”  
Dan paused for a moment when he moved past Takeshi on his way out of the plane.  
And moments later he muttered a curse in Swedish as the twins had taken what he believed to be brooches and tossed them into the air, only for them to come alive and land on their heads as tiny jewel birds with impossibly long tail feathers.  
“Okay, explain away.”  
Her didn't even bother specifying, or turning to Takeshi, he just sighed and leaned against the frame of the plane to listen.  
“Those are familiars, they are alive, but they are not born like normal animals. They were originally created to help protect the girls from nightmares after we freed them, they also allow for telepathic communication. Those two were changed into true life forms though.”  
After allowing a few moments for the information to settle Takeshi dropped the next bomb.  
“You will be joining me to get one of your own once we are done unloading the Blackout.”  
“So first thing you do is stick me with a pet?”  
“Sort of, the telepathy will be most useful.”  
“I'm gonna be worried about hurting such a tiny little bird.”  
“Oh, the sanctuary constructs are quite durable, and don't be so sure it will be a bird. The girls picked their from a few creatures already created because it was urgent to find them familiars and the Sanctuary was not ready for them. But since then it has been completed, so yours will be born the proper way, and will take a form that fits you perfectly.”  
“In other words, it's a surprise?”  
Dan groaned at the prospect of picking up an unknown creature that would be with him for an unforeseen future.  
“Pretty much.”  
Takeshi agreed with a teasing tone.

After a unloading all the stuff from the Blackout and sending the twins to the house Takeshi called for Emelie so they could head to the Sanctuary to get a familiar for Dan.  
While Takeshi could perform the ritual himself like he had done for Emelie it would be more potent if performed by a female and since Emelie had been the one to carry the Seed of Life she was connected to the Sanctuary in a unique way that Takeshi didn't fully understand.

“This place is amazing.”  
Dan was looking around with wide eyes.  
“Yeah, it is.”  
Takeshi agreed softly as he handed Dan one of the small glowing lizards that lived in the sanctuary.  
Watching Dan laugh as the quick creature ran across his hands made Takeshi smile as well and when Dan placed the lizard into one of the trees he offered him one of the butterflies instead which he accepted with an amazed expression.  
It took several hours for Dan to come to terms with the sanctuary, Takeshi calmly explained what he was seeing and Emelie added her own tidbits while showing him her own familiar.

Once he was calm enough they brought him before the Soul-tree to receive his familiar.  
“I guess this is why you call this place the Jacaranda Estate?”  
He mused while staring at the beautiful blooming tree inside the small annex.  
“It is, but enough stalling, time to get this show on the road.”  
Emelie chirped as she took his hand and dragged him all the way to the tree where the small pitcher plant wine was waiting for them.  
“Here, to do this we need to pour some of your blood into this plant, it will make the familiar part of you, this is what allows it to be your voice and to relay the voice of the others. It will also be what gives it form.”  
He hesitated slightly before reaching out his hand to her but was surprised that there was almost no pain as her nail cut along his palm, only a slight burning sensation, then he forgot it completely and blushed at the sensation of her licking the blood from his hand as he watched the cut she had made healed.  
When she told him to put his hand into the pitcher and retrieve his familiar he did as instructed, though slightly worried that there would be something slimy in there.  
But what he felt was something warm and furry and moments later a small furry animal ran up his arm and once perched at his shoulder began chittering at him in a most eager way.

“A baby ferret? My familiar is a crazy baby ferret?”  
He looked at the furry thing with a rather worried look.  
“Actually it's a weasel. And it's cute, not crazy.”  
Emelie quipped with a grin while scratching behind its ear.  
“Actually, you are both wrong. Em, feel its aura.”  
Takeshi spoke up from the doorway where he had been watching, the moment the creature awoke he could tell it was not a construct, it was a true life, a life with a soul and power.  
Reaching out with her aura Emelie tested the creature and found that he was right, it didn't feel anything like an actual animal.  
“It feels kinda like the girls familiars after they changed.”  
“Indeed it does, that's because it's something similar, it's a _Raijū_ , a lightning spirit. I wouldn't be surprised if it has another, larger form as well.”

The moment Takeshi mention a secondary form the small creature jumped from Dan's shoulder and in a flash of light it stood before them in the form of a slender, black, wolf looking, creature with electric blue markings and long whip-like appendages from behind its ears and elbows.  
“Okay, that's pretty damn cool.”  
_“Of course it is.”_  
The silent voice managed to convey a clear huff as the Raijū voiced its opinion.  
“I like this thing already!”  
Dan's grin just grew wider as the creature touched his mind and pulled at his aura, forming a bond that would last for as long as he lived.  
As long as he was alive the Raijū would not be possible to kill, but if Dan died, so would it, its life-force irrevocably bound to his.  
“A Raijū of all things, I definitely made the right choice in hiring you as head of security.”  
Takeshi mused as he watched the creature bond to the one that had brought about it's birth, once he was satisfied they had bonded properly he tapped Dan's shoulder.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Next Generation_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“How about you let me take a look at your eyes and see if I can fix them right away, there might be something of use in here.”  
With a nod Dan gave his consent and taking hold of Dan's head Takeshi pushed and prodded with his aura to see what was wrong and he had to resist smirking as he worked.  
The more invasive contact with his energies further confirmed Takeshi's suspicion about Dan that had started with their drinks in Gothenburg, then grown stronger during their time in DC.  
The way Dan's aura responded as well as the shifts in his scent told Takeshi that the younger man was attracted to him, and as he had reacted the same way to Emelie and Eriko it was becoming clear that he played for both teams so to speak, something that had the potential to create some rather interesting situations around the house.  
Once he was done with his examination Takeshi stepped back with a frown, the doctors did have a point, Dan suffered from an unusually bad form that would be hard to fix.  
“Aw damn, that's a bad look. No can do, huh?”  
Dan's shoulders slumped and his voice carried a broken note.  
“Not at all, it can be fixed, it will just take a bit more extreme measures than I first believed. I could heal it using reiki, but that would be temporary, it would get worse again and I would have to repeat the treatment. I would guess you would need a treatment once or twice a month to keep it away.”

“Well, if it's that easy a fix what's the frown about?”  
“I was hoping to fix it permanently, but the ways to do that are very limited. One of them of course being the Blessing.”  
“You mean make me into a werewolf thing?”  
“Yes, and that is not an option, not yet at least.”  
Takeshi had a feeling he would change Dan one day, but he also had a feeling it would take time.  
“So, what's the other options, you said there were a few.”  
“Actually, there are only two. The other one also involves using the Blessing, in the form of my blood. It would only change your eyes, not the rest of you.”  
Takeshi had spoken with the Mother while he examined Dan's eyes and she had told him how he could use his blood to heal by altering only a small part of the body.  
“And doing this won't change me, just fix my eyes?”  
“There would be some changes, your eyesight would improve, and since this improvement will include a widening of your visual spectrum into infrared and ultraviolet it would take some getting used to, the world won't look quite the same. In time you would learn to turn this on or off but that can take a long time since you are not trained in manipulating your aura.”  
“So stuff would look seriously freaky until I get a hang of it?”  
Takeshi just laughed at Dan's blunt assessment of the issue.  
“There are also a few other things. Your eyes would shift and adapt based on what you need. Need to see something in the distance, the eyes of a raptor are far superior to those of a human. The night vision of owls and cats, when taking a swim the eyes of a shark come in handy. While this would also take some getting used to it would be less intrusive than the change in spectrum as it would only activate when you need it, an involuntary reflex. In time you would learn to control it and have it change when you want it to rather than on its own.”  
Dan was silent for a while, considering the implications of what Takeshi told him.  
“Well, honestly, sounds like I might as well just go for it. If that's okay with you, you're the one doing the bleeding after all.”  
“Slow down, there is more you need to know before you chose.”  
“Fine, explain.”  
Dan sighed and sat down in the grass.

“To do this I will be destroying your eyes and using my blood to force your body to grow new ones. This might change the color, and if you have retina ID anywhere we will need to hack the database and change or delete it, because your new eyes will not match.”  
Taking a seat opposite to Dan he continued.  
“And there will be pain, excruciating pain, your every instinct will be screaming at you that you are loosing your eyes, as you **will** be losing them. You **will** try to fight me off and since that could mess things up I am going to be using one of my abilities to force you to stay still, again this will throw your instincts into a panic.”  
“So it'll be a ride through hell, and I'll be awake for the show?”  
Once again Takeshi found himself appreciating Dan's occasional bluntness, though he did find it curious how the man was able to switch between this frank bluntness with sharp observations, and and the bumbling shyness and unawareness at other times.  
“I will do everything I can to reduce the effects, but yeah, it will be hell.”  
“But with it done, my eyes will be good, right?”  
“As if there was never anything wrong with them.”  
“Then do it!”  
Takeshi could feel the determination in both voice and aura so he simply asked Dan to lie down so the could get started and moments after Dan's back hit the ground the Mother decided to give them some help as vines and roots lifted Dan's body to a suitable working position for Takeshi, those roots and vines would also help restrain him when needed.  
The Mother also put Dan's familiar to sleep, or it might attack Takeshi for causing pain to its master.

Wrapping Dan in his aura Takeshi began to weave power into his voice, binding his patient tightly into a net of _command_ and _suggestion_ , he could feel Emelie's aura add to his own as she used the nightmare aspect of her power to help suppress Dan's fear and hopefully help keeping him calm once Takeshi started the real work.  
“Take a deep breath. Try to keep your breathing calm and steady.”  
Takeshi took Dan's head between his hands and placed his thumbs over his eyes for a moment, pushing power into them to try to numb the pain that would come.  
“I will begin now.”  
Dan just nodded and steeled himself for what was coming and Takeshi used the claws of his index fingers to cut deep into the pads of his thumbs before pushing the claws of his thumbs into Dan's eyes and allowing the blood to flow along the claws into the now ruined eyes.  
The scream of pain that tore through the Sanctuary had both Takeshi and Emelie wanting to cover their ears, but they had to focus on Dan, on trying to soothe the pain so that he would be able to bear it.  
Takeshi could feel the intense burning pain as he used his aura to carry some of the burden, he would have taken it all if he could, but that would require a much deeper bond.  
As the minutes passed Dan was slowly starting to relax under the combined effort of Takeshi's and Emelie's abilities, the pain was still intense but the panic was letting go and his breathing slowly returned a more normal pattern.  
“Ssh, easy, you are doing good, it's almost over now. The pain should begin to recede shortly.”  
As the reforming of the eyes progressed Takeshi withdrew his claws but still kept the pads of his thumbs over the eyes, allowing a slow trickle of blood to flow into them.  
“Okay, you can close your eyes now, slowly. That's it, nice and slow.”  
He didn't let go of Dan though, instead he kept one hand on his chest and the other gently holding his face, the touch not just soothing Dan, but also allowing Takeshi to get a better feel for what was going on.

When Takeshi noticed that Dan was beginning to become restless, squirming and fidgeting he removed his hand from Dan's chest.  
“Do you want to sit up?”  
There was a weak nod so Takeshi gently helped him up while reminding him not to open his eyes yet.  
Takeshi could feel the Beast stir with joy as Dan leaned forward and rested his head against his chest, instinctively seeking support and he was more than happy to offer it, wrapping an arm around him Takeshi began rubbing soothing circles on his back.  
“That's it, nice and easy, deep calm breaths. It's almost over.”  
There was a sigh of relief as the pain finally broke but when Takeshi released his hold there was a slight sound of objection so he held on and waited for him pull back on his own.  
With the process complete all that remained was for Dan to recover from the strain and they would be able to take a look at the result.  
“My eyes, are they still blue?”  
Emelie laughed at Dan's first question when he opened his eyes.  
“Still blue, but a much more vivid shade, they were kinda icy blue before, now they are a really intense electric blue.”  
The sigh of relief had both Takeshi and Emelie laughing and teasing him lightly.

“Come on, let's go meet the rest of the girls and get you set up with somewhere to sleep.”  
“Yeah, and I think I'll have a nap after that.”  
“Indeed, the healing may have been mostly fueled by my power, but it still takes a lot out of you. But you should try to eat something first.”  
“Sure thing Doc.  
The teasing quip made Takeshi laugh, and reach out to steady Dan who staggered slightly when he tried to offer a mock salute.  
“Easy does it.”  
It wasn't the last stumble on their walk back to the house, but Takeshi simply reached out and steadied Dan when he needed it.  
“Damn, that is one big house...”  
“I wanted to have room to expand my family, my pack.”  
“Yeah, but this is the size of my apartment block... Just less floors.”  
With a shake of his head Takeshi gave Dan a slight nudge to get him moving toward the inner garden.

“Girls, this is Dan, he will be living with us so please try to get to know him. I know you don't like having outsiders around, especially males, but he is here to help protect you. And I trust him.”  
They were still hesitant, but when Dan stepped up to introduce himself they did turn to him and pay attention.  
“I'm Dan Lindgren, pleased to meet you all. Take has told me a lot about you girls, including the bad stuff, so don't worry, I'll understand if you don't want me to come any closer. But I'm hoping you'll learn to trust me.”  
There was a long silence, then Sarah and Maria ran up to Dan and gave him a a quick hug.  
“Welcome to the Jacaranda Estate Dan!”  
“Thanks Sarah, thanks Maria.”  
With Takeshi's proclamation of trust and the twins seal of approval the others relaxed and opened up slightly.  
“Hi Dan, I'm Amanda, but everyone calls me Manda.”  
“Hi Manda.”  
She shook his hand before stepping back to let the others come forward.  
One by one they stepped up under Melissa's watchful eye and after they all had greeted him Melissa did the same before returning to the others, and their lessons.

“I think that went about as well as could be expected.”  
Takeshi soothed Dan who was slightly unsettled about the fear the girls had showed.  
“They're brave girls, but so scared. Makes me wanna trash anyone who hurt them.”  
“That they are, but don't worry, I'm sure you'll grow on them in time.”  
Dan's somewhat aggressive outburst pleased Takeshi greatly, he had only just met the girls and was already showing a strong protective streak.  
“I really hope so...”  
“Stop worrying about that for now, and focus on picking a room you like.”  
Takeshi led them to the same wing as Matthews was staying in, explaining that the girls had made the other end of the house their home.  
“Wow! Can't I just stay in one of these instead of getting a cottage and all that shit? I never was much of a house and garden person.”  
“If that's what you want, of course. But the offer to have a home of your own built remains.”  
“Thanks.”  
“So, which suite do you want? Remember, you'll have a proper office on the second floor so your rooms will be for rest and recreation, and privacy.”  
“I can pick any of them?”  
“Yeah, except the larger one at the end, Matthews and Eriko are in that one. The layout is the same in all of them, so it's pretty much down to distance, and the view.”  
“Oh, okay.”

In the end Dan spent well over an hour going back and forth between the rooms before settling on one that had a nice view of one of the small side rivulets of the waterfall.  
“Would you like the office above this suite? It should have a similar view, and we could install some stairs and a small elevator to make it easy to get from your rooms to your office.”  
“Yeah, that would be really nice.”  
“It's settled then. Now go on, get some rest. I'll make you something to eat and bring it for you. Anything in particular you want?”  
“Coffee...”  
“Will do, I'm sure Matthews won't mind sharing some of his coffee until you can order whatever kind you prefer. Anything particular to eat? You really should.”  
“Can you make something cold?”  
“Of course. Get a shower, get some rest, I'll be back soon with your snack.”  
“Thanks.”  
When Takeshi returned 20 minutes later with coffee, some sweet buns that Emelie insisted on adding, and a poké bowl, he found Dan sprawled across the bed, sleeping deeply.  
After a moment of consideration he decided not to wake him, instead he placed the food in the small cooler and placed the coffee thermos and a cup along with a note to come join them in the garden when he woke up on the small desk and left the young man to his own devices.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Next Generation_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

The next few weeks were hectic as Takeshi helped Dan get settled into his new life and getting used to his new eyesight while also preparing the vacation he had promised Emelie and the twins and preparing to pretend to be his own kid so that he could be named heir on his supposed 10th birthday, all in all, a lot to do in very little time.  
At the moment he was taking a break from the actual work though and was surfing the web looking at camper buses for the vacation.  
“Hey, Take! What you up to?”  
As usual Dan's English left a bit to be wished for but Takeshi just shook his head at it, it was part of who he was and he doubted he would ever entirely stop using his sloppy way of speaking, he was able to though, he had proved as much on several occasions.  
“I'm looking for a suitable camping bus for taking Em and the twins on an extended vacation. I promised I would take them traveling once the business with the Council is done. And Em wanted to have a really long road trip through Europe.”  
Clicking away another bus that didn't fit what he wanted with a frustrated sigh he tossed the tab aside and turned to Dan.

“Problem is, despite claiming to be perfect for families they all lack suitable beds and seats for kids. They have nice, big king size beds, but only one bed, any children would have to sleep on convertible sofas or similar. They also lack proper seating for the kids, once again placing them in sofas without even proper 3-point belts, much less the 6-point belts that I would prefer. There is also the issue of privacy, most don't have any real way to allow for some private moments. And as you've noticed, Em gets kinda grumpy if she misses a _feeding_.”  
Dan dropped down next to him and grabbed the tab he had tossed aside and began looking through the vehicles he had been looking at, all while humming a rather obnoxious melody.  
“Does it have to be a bus?”  
“Well, it has to be big enough to be comfortable to live in for an extended amount of time. But she didn't say it **must** be a bus, why?”  
Dan flipped through some more pages before entering a search of his own and sending it to the big screen.  
“Well, I have this pal who used to be really into extreme rebuilds of various cars, and one of his all time favorites were these 18-wheelers rebuilt into insane luxury campers.”  
Tossing a few images up on the screen he continued.  
“If you pick something with a medium sleeper cab you could fit it with a toilet and proper captain's chairs for the twins while still being able to add a seriously big trailer. Maybe even run a twin trailer, one for living space and one for supplies, cargo, maybe a smaller car, some bikes, a small boat. You know, all that useful vacation stuff.”  
As he spoke he kept tossing up images of various custom builds on the main screen.  
“Best part is, they are ordered to spec, so you can design the interior however you want it to be. Including things like soundproofing.”  
The last bit was said with a pointed snicker before he leaned back and waited while Takeshi looked at the various pictures, and if the humming was any indication he liked what he was seeing.

“You have a point, these look a lot better, sure you can't go straight from the driver seat and into the living area, but I think that's a small sacrifice to make. I'll run these by Em and see what she thinks. If she likes it you'll be getting a chance at earning your first extra pay.”  
“And how would I be doing that?”  
“By finding the best custom builders out there, and talk them into building what we want within 6 months. You will receive 10 _Dragons_ if you pull it off.”  
“Damn! Is it okay if I drag my pal into it? He's the one who knows where to find the good builders.”  
“Sure, but any fee's he might ask you'll have to pay yourself.”  
“No problem.”  
Emelie had instantly loved the idea and Dan got the go ahead to get things moving.

Takeshi was down at the beach going through some hand to hand with Dan and Emelie when the twins came down to watch them, and after seeing Dan successfully throwing his much larger and heavier opponent a few times they were begging to be taught how to do it themselves.  
After a quick talk Takeshi and Emelie agreed that it would be a good thing to teach them some more advanced self defense now that they were showing interest in learning.  
Dan on the other hand was less enthusiastic since he accurately figured he would end up being their training dummy, but he soon fell victim to the classic puppy-dog eyes.  
They quickly developed a routine of mixing practice with playing games aimed to strengthen their balance and coordination as well as building stamina and strength.

A soft knock on the door to Takeshi's study made him look up and greet Dan with a smile.  
“Welcome back, how was your trip?”  
“It was good.”  
“Did you find what you were looking for?”  
“Yeah, we managed to get a meeting with some really good builders, and we managed to to make them interested, but they want to see what you have in mind before they decide if they are going to accept the build.”  
“Would I be right if I assume they are picky with what builds they accept?”  
“Mhm, very. They don't do it for the money.”  
“That's actually good, that means they won't make a half-assed build. How about you give me a hand picking something to tempt them with.”  
“Not sure what good I would be, I don't know anything about this.”  
“You were there, at their place. You saw the projects they have done, what kind of things they like, their taste.”  
“Oh, I didn't really pay much attention.”  
“Don't worry, we see and remember a lot more than we believe we do. Especially since you have some experience from being a guard. I will guide you through some techniques to help you remember.”  
“Okay I guess.”  
“Go on, sit down, you will need to be comfortable for this to be effective.”  
Takeshi waited for Dan to make himself comfortable in the couch in the corner of the study.

“Let's start with the tractor. Did they show any preference toward the US or European style tractor?”  
“And that means what exactly?”  
Takeshi took a moment to think about how to explain it as simply as possible, simplicity would make it easier to bring out the memories, after a moment he recalled something Maria had said back when she first joined the GCTI in Miami.  
“Where they long nose or flat nose trucks?”  
The description of the US standard trucks with their full hood and the cab behind the engine versus the European style with the cab on top of or even in front of the engine with their flat fronts made Dan smile, but he nodded that he understood.  
“Okay, we start with that, calm yourself and count your breaths like I taught you.”

Takeshi slowly guided Dan into a light meditative state that would make him more receptive to the hypnotic suggestion that he would be using to focus Dan's mind and help him recall small details that he didn't have any active memory of seeing, but that would still be hidden in the deep recesses of his mind.

“Look around, do you see any pictures, scale models, or vehicles outside the window?”  
“Yes, there are a lot of them.”  
Takeshi noticed that Dan's speech pattern had changed slightly to more proper form.  
“We are looking for semi-tractors, sleeper cabs, ignore the other images for now.”  
“Okay, I see them. There are several scale models and large prints on the walls.”  
“Do they show flat nose or long nose types, or both?”  
“They are all long nose types.”  
“Good, that's good. Next, look at the trailers, do you notice any pattern?”  
“All of them have 2 trailers, one larger in front and a smaller behind.”  
Takeshi noted that Dan described what was commonly called a rocky mountain double, a combination of a 12 to 16 meter front trailer and a smaller rear trailer around 9 meter that was commonly called a pup.  
“Okay that's good, you can come back to me now, nice and slowly.”  
For a few moments Dan looked at him with a blank expression, then he blinked a few times before smiling widely.  
“That was cool, I could have sworn I was back there again.”  
“I will teach you how to use a form of self-hypnosis to achieve the same result without my help. But for now, we got some really useful information.”  
“Yeah I can remember it clearly now, the American style trucks, and twin trailers, perfect for what you want to build.”  
“Indeed it is.

With the information about the preferences of the builders Takeshi and Dan started looking through various models of semi tractors to find one that would suit their plans, and hopefully tickle the fancy of the builders.

“How about something like this one, it's an extra long so you could have both a toilet and a small kitchen as well as proper seats for everyone.”  
Dan pointed toward a large custom sleeper cabs.  
“Yeah, I like it. But I want 6 seats total, not 4.”  
“Planning on bringing more people?”  
“No, but I rather have the room just in case. Who knows, maybe we will come across a hot hitchhiker to invite for some fun.”  
The teasing quip had Dan blushing slightly before he shook his head and grumbled about incorrigible perverts.

Between training Dan and the various preparations it wasn't long before Takeshi once again found himself planning for Christmas shopping and after the holidays it would be time to go to Japan and pretend to be his own son.

 

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The Next Generation_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)

“Where is your Kage?”  
The Council leader questioned Kasumi harshly, not even bothering to address her properly.  
“I left him to guard our daughter.”  
Thanks to the charms that Eriko had made, and was currently using her power to enhance, there was no way the Council would be able to tell that what they were told was not the truth.  
It took every last bit of self control for Takeshi to maintain his transformation and not simply attack them, though it did help to have Emelie there, carefully soothing him, but even that caused the Council to attack Kasumi.  
“Why is that _gaijin_ touching the heir?!”  
“Emelie is his nanny, his guardian. I met her because her mother was a friend of Takeshi's, but once I found out that she possesses a unique set of skills I hired her to help me keep my children safe.”  
“That name will not be spoken before this Council! A Kage has no right to a name!”  
The elder snapped which caused Emelie to lose her cool and unleash her succubus form for all to see, and snarl at the council while shielding Takeshi with her wings.

“As you can see she is **very** protective.”  
The only thing revealing Kasumi's anger was the slight chill in her voice, and the Council didn't notice.  
“She is a **demon**!”  
“Our blades are demonic, so is the Kiryu Ryujin, so why not a demonic nanny? Her kind are powerful an loyal, they make perfect guardians.”  
The elder spluttered and complained, but there was no valid argument he could raise to counter her statement so with an annoyed gesture he told them to step up so he could formally name _Katsuro_ heir, and since Daisuke, the previous head, was dead it would also transfer all of the Kiryu assets into the name of Katsuro Kiryu, it never occurred to the Council that Kasumi would take advantage of that to claim control over them.  
They were so sure that the family loyalty that they raised the children with it would make it unthinkable for them to act against it.  
And in a way they were right, Kasumi would not act against the name, but they had forgotten that the name follows the Ryuken, not the bloodlines of the humans who served its wielder.  
With the ceremonies and papers all done Kasumi informed them that they were not to try to contact her or her children, that any attempt to do so would be met with deadly force.  
She also told them that if _Katsuro_ earned his dragon, he would be marked by his father and the power of the Ryujin, not the inks and toxins of the Irezumi.  
While they protested they still had to accept her demand as there was no greater honor than to be marked by the dragons themselves.  
With that they left, Kiryu assets now under their control they could begin to shift them into what they needed them to be, to shift them into something that would help sustain the world.  
And in ten years they would return for the coming of age ceremony where _Katsuro_ would be made head.

 


End file.
